But in this case the There is an enormous the ascension restored it to its perfection. Three Offices. In THE THREE OFFICES OF THE CHRIST. Jesus is, in virtue of His incarnation, the Anointed Mediator between God and man. To the offices of His mediatorship His incarnate Person was specifically anointed at His baptism, and thus He became the perfected Christ of God. His work was the fulfilment and consummation of the ancient prophetical, priestly and regal functions to which the typical servants of God under the old economy were anointed. These offices He began to discharge on earth, and continues to discharge in heaven. While considering them as distinct, it is important to remember that they are one in the mediatorial work; and that the integrity of evangelical truth depends upon the faithfulness with which we give to each its due tribute in the unity of the two others. The division of the mediatorial work into Three Offices is based, Theology as will be seen, on the Scriptures, both of the Old and of the New Testament, but it is not formally stated in them. It was current in later Judaism; is distinctly to be traced in the early Fathers, especially Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Augustine; and in the Middle Ages was elaborated by Thomas Aquinas. It was introduced into their theology both by Luther and Calvin, and, though contended against by some writers who object to the too systematic distinction of the several offices, it has become current in modern theology. There are many reasons why it is inexpe dient to make the Three Offices the basis of an analysis of the mediatorial work. But their consideration is most appropriate in the present review of the process of historical redemption. THE CHRIST OF PROPHECY. The Redeemer of mankind, whose advent in the fulness of time is the supreme verbal and typical prophecy of the Old Testament, was marked out as THE LORD'S ANOINTED or THE CHRIST. This appellation was not at first given to Him directly, but indirectly as He was represented by those who in the Theocracy were anointed to their office. In some passages however the future Saviour is predicted by this name; and when He came into the world He was the fulfilment of a general expectation of the Messiah as hereafter to come in one or all of these three offices. ance. The Christ of Prophecy. The of Oil. Gen. xxviii. 18, 16. I. Anointing was from early times a symbol of consecration to Symbol God to the Divine possession and to the Divine service. 1. Generally, it signified human dedication and Divine acceptSo, in the first recorded instance of its use, Jacob took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it, because it was revealed to him, the Lord is in this place. More particularly it was the symbol of light and peace and joy of light for prophetical illumination, of peace for priestly atonement, of joy for regal government as the presence of God with His people. : Ghost. 22-33 2. This anointing oil was the emblem of the Holy Ghost, the The Holy Spirit of consecration. As blood was the expiatory symbol, water that of purification, and light of God's accepting presence, so oil was the symbol of sanctification generally as mystically combining all these. This symbol in its most perfect form, the holy anointing oil, was a peculiar confection, like everything per- Ex. xxx. taining to the sanctuary after a Divine pattern, and never to be used save in connection with Divine uses, for the priesthood and the sanctuary; it was not to be privately prepared, nor to be poured upon man's flesh or the stranger. It is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. Thus the precious ointment, the ointment of the apothecary, was the elect typical emblem of the Holy Ghost in His special relation to the unction of Christ, and in His general relation to that of the saints who share the sacred unction. II. Anointing oil was used for the consecration of the priest Its Une hood and of the prophets and rulers; especially of the high priest and the kings in the ancient economy. Priesthood. Ex. xxx. 30. Lev. viii. 30. 1 Kings xix. 16. : 1. The priests were anointed, as also the furniture of the sacri ficial service all things were both sprinkled with blood and anointed with oil. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them. And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron. The anointing oil was therefore as essential and as pervasive as the blood, its correlative symbol: the expiatory atonement and the consecration of the Holy Lev. iv. 3. Ghost being co-ordinate. After the first institution the priest that is anointed signified the High Priest: it is to be supposed that the successors in the ordinary priesthood were not consecrated Prophets. by this symbol. The prophets were set apart in the same way. Moses, the head of the prophetic order, who anointed the priests, did not himself undergo the rite. The Spirit anointed him without the emblem. But Elijah was commanded to anoint Elisha to be prophet in his room. As to the kings, the testimony is more clear. Elijah anointed Hazael to be king, which points back to an earlier ordinance. The judges were not thus instituted. Joshua received the imposition of Moses' hands as one on whom the Spirit of consecration had already fallen. But, when Saul was given to Israel, Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance? David, however, was the specific regal type of the Messiah. Then Samuel took the xvi. 13. horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. Designation and endowment with gifts were the two elements in the regal consecration: the former making the Lord's Anointed a sacred and inviolable person, and the latter insuring him every requisite grace for the administration of his office. 1 Kings. xix. 15. Nam. xxvii. 18, 23. 1 Sam. x. 1. 1 Sam. Ancient one in Christ. 2. Thus the anointing oil, the symbol of the Holy Ghost, had Meanings various meanings in the typical economy: meanings which were afterwards one in Christ. The prophetic anointing signified rather the setting apart of an organ for occasional influence it pointed out one in whom the Spirit was already present. The priestly anointing indicated not so much mere appointment as consecra tion to the Divine service. The regal anointing superadded to the other meanings that of the permanent Divine indwelling : the king was God's representative alone. The prophet and the king represented God and not man: the former, occasionally; the latter, permanently. The priest represented God to man, and man to God; his consecration was abiding, and affected all things connected with him. As in the case of the altar, whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. Ex. xxx. 29. The III. There are a few remarkable passages in which the future Redeemer is foreannounced as the Anointed One, the pre-eminent Predicted , and in relation to these three offices distinctively. Messiah. Ps. xlv. 7, 2, 8. 1. The Psalms open with the Great Name of the future, which was to be sanctified for ever as common to Christ and His people: The rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against Ps. ii. 2. His anointed. Here is the regal office; and this is echoed in a later Psalm God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee, where the prophetic office is also referred to, and the priestly consecration is scarcely hid. 2. The Anointed One speaks of Himself through Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings. Here is by our Lord's own interpretation the prophetic office: the only passage of this class which He quotes. Others He left for the use of His Apostles. 3. Daniel closes the Messianic prophecy proper by giving the name Messiah to the Future Redeemer, specifically as High Priest, but including His other offices. Three times he mentions the word. After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but noi for Himself: seventy weeks are determined . . . to make reconciliation for iniquity... and to anoint the Most Holy. But He is Messiah the Prince; and His coming was to seal up the prophecy. Here are all the offices combined; this distinction and combination are the glory of Daniel's predictions. Prophet. Isa. lxi. 1. Luke iv. 18. Priest. Dan. ix. 24, 25, 26. General Expecta tion. IV. Hence in later Judaism a clear testimony was borne to the union of the three functions in One Supreme Person; and the Saviour when He came found among the people a general expectation of the Messiah or Christ. He appealed to it as everywhere latent. 1. The Targums, or Chaldaic paraphrases of the Scripture substituted for the Hebrew text in public reading after the Judaism Captivity, exhibit in very many passages a clear view of the Messiah in His offices. They call Him God; the King; the Later In the Gospels. John vii. 42. Matt. xii. 23. 10. Matt. ii. 4. Luke ii. 26. John i. 41. John vii. 31. Prophet; the High Priest upon His throne; the promised Shiloh. They apply to Him all the passages which Christians are wont to apply. They make His two advents one, however, and regard the delay of the Messiah as caused by the sins of the people; at least this is the explanation of some of later date, when the critical periods indicated for the coming of Messiah were evidently over past. Some Jewish authorities, it is true, invented a double Messiah; one, the Son of Joseph, in humiliation; the other, the Son of David, in glory. Others referred the predictions of sorrow to the Hebrew race, not to the Messiah: the People being the afflicted Servant of God. But before the time of Christ Jewish expectation took very much the form which is sketched in our own exposition of the Old Testament. 2. The state of Messianic expectation in the time of our Lord may be gathered from the Gospels with great precision. The Christ was to come of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was. The people were wont to ask, Is not this the Son of David? He was to be heralded by Elias: Why Matt.xvii. then say the scribes that Elias must first come? He was to be the Anointed: He demanded of them where Christ should be born, Who had been announced to Simeon as the Lord's Christ. Andrew's word to Simon was: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. So the people were accustomed to say, When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles than these which this man hath done? He was expected in His three offices. As King especially, for the state of the Jewish people would endear that character: Where is He that is born King of the Jews... the Christ? with which corresponds the final charge: saying that He Himself is xxiii. 2. Christ a King! As Prophet also: of Him whom they would take by force to make Him a King, they testified, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. There was no real difference between those who said, Of a truth this is the Prophet! and those who said, This is the Christ! Samaria shared the expectation of Christ as a prophet: I know that Messias cometh, Which is called Christ when He is come, He will tell us all things. We have not the same direct evidence that the Messiah was expected to be a priest. It is plain, however, that the representatives of Judaism who welcomed the Child Jesus waited for a priestly Messiah. Matt. ii. 2, 4. Luke John vi. 14, 15. John vii. 40, 41. John iv. 25. |