[336 words]
Have you ever heard the phrase “He is a man of many hats”? I can remember hearing this growing up. I remember thinking how funny a man would look with a stack of hats on his head. The real meaning goes back to the days when everyone was wearing hats and different professions wore different hats. I remember seeing an old western where a man had many different jobs in a small town. He would change his hat depending on what job he was doing at the time: Mayor, Sheriff, Undertaker. The Bible tells us that Jesus has many different roles that He plays in our lives.
Jesus is a Prophet. “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Jesus is a Priest. “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, …And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was. So too Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but it was He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have fathered You”; just as He also says in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:1-6).
Jesus is a King. “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has set You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy”“ (Hebrews 1:8-9).
The Bible uses these jobs, and many others, to help us understand the complex relationship we have with Jesus.
Brad Tolbert
Monticello church of Christ
Monticello, AR