Prophets II Catholic Bible study Lesson 21

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 21 A Change in the Priesthood
the book of Exodus 32:1–29
the book of Deuteronomy 18:15–22
the First Book of Samuel 2:27–35
the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–16
the book of Genesis 14:17–20
Psalm 110:1–4
the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1–14
the Letter to the Hebrews 7:11–16
the Gospel According to John 1:19–33
the Gospel According to John 13:34–35

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: An Apocalyptic Vision of Christian Tribulation

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 149–158 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Isaiah 40:1–11, the Book of Malachi 3:1–3, the Book of Malachi 4:5–6, the Gospel According to Luke 1:5–17, the Gospel According to Luke 1:67–79, the Gospel According to Matthew 3:1–3, the Gospel According to John 1:19–34, the Book of Isaiah 61:1, the Gospel According to Matthew 11:2–15, the Book of Joel 2:27–32, and the Acts of the Apostles 2:14–21
Lesson 20 The Voice in the Wilderness looks at the transitional figure of John (called the Baptist in the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but in the Fourth Gospel more accurately thought of as a witness) and his relationship to Jesus. The concern that Jesus’ cousin John—often identified as a New Testament prophet—represents the reappearance of the prophet Elijah is examined from the point of view of the Jewish religious leaders as well as from the perspective of Jesus, who addresses the question directly in the Gospel According to Matthew. Jesus’ cousin John himself identifies with the voice in the wilderness spoken of by the prophet known as Deutero- (Second) Isaiah.

we’re nearing the conclusion of this two-volume study
Lesson 20 The Voice in the Wilderness and this lesson “A Change in the Priesthood” provide in-depth look at what’s most important to Christians about Old Testament prophecy—that it points to the Incarnation, Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. The material in these two lessons assumes a level of familiarity with the content in both volumes of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets. The videos and online study pages for both lessons are necessarily longer and more complex than material that accompanies other lessons. With Lesson 22 An Apocalyptic Vision of Christian Tribulation and Lesson 23 A Revelation: Jesus Christ, King of Kings & Lord of Lords, the focus will move from how prophecy in the Old Testament connects to the Gospel accounts of Jesus to an emphasis on prophecy in the book of Revelation and what is expected of us as individual Christians in terms of furthering God’s plan for a more complete union of humanity and divinity. The first volume of this Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, looks at the biblical prophets active prior to the Babylonian Exile.

seeking the big picture related to Jesus & his Church
Viewing the Old Testament prophets apart from an understanding of the roles played by kings and priests furnishes readers at best with an incomplete picture of salvation history. While it’s commonly understood that Jesus perfectly fulfills the roles established for priests, prophets, and kings, exactly how these offices change in the New Testament remains a mystery to most Christians. A key to that mystery is the relationship between Jesus and his cousin John, and how that relationship is foreshadowed in the Old Testament—especially by Moses and his brother Aaron, and by the prophet Elisha and his predecessor Elijah. Also key to understanding Jesus is understanding the importance he places on establishing his Church. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. It shows the locations of the seven significant early churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. The original map is on page 158 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

the long & the short of what happens to the priesthood (01:46:39)
In the video, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out that this lesson is both too long and too short in its attempt to explain the link between the prophets and the priesthood, something that’s important when we look at how Jesus fulfills both offices—as well as how he fulfills the office of king. It’s impossible to sum up what the Old Testament prophets were foretelling without addressing what Jesus’ priesthood means. Even this longer video only skims the surface. Many relevant points regarding the Old Testament priesthood, especially things not related in some way to the prophets—and even background material about the ministerial priesthood in the present-day Church—aren’t included. The overall aim of this lesson is to explore key points of the biblical relationship between the priesthood, the prophets, and the kings. All three are relevant, but of special interest is what Jesus looks like in the context of prophet.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can follow along with as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 21, “A Change in the Priesthood,” on pages 149–158 in the study book.

how God communicates
It’s unknown whether the author of the Letter to the Hebrews was familiar with the Gospel According to John 1:1—which refers to the Son of God as the Word of God—but the Letter to the Hebrews 1:1–2 opens by contrasting the old way God spoke to his people with the new way God now speaks. In the times “of old,” God communicated with humanity remotely through the intermediary voice of the prophets, but the Son of God is more than another prophet. That the Letter to the Hebrews doesn’t name Jesus as the Son of God until nine verses into the second chapter indicates the immense significance the author places on the familial relationship between Jesus and God the Father.

Because angels are messengers for God, they also serve as intermediaries, but the Son of God is more than another messenger. Something significant has happened to change the history of humanity, and the Son of God now is a meeting point between God and man. Supernatural communication skills aren’t the only way in which the Son of God is superior to the angels. The angels are ethereal—like wind and fire. As part of the contingent of all created things “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” described in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians 1:16, the angels have been created through and for the Son of the God. They didn’t always exist. The Son of God is superior to the angels becausethe Son of God is eternal. The first chapter in the book of Genesis describes God’s Son present and participating in Creation in the form of God’s Word. You can learn more in Lesson 1 And God Said, Let There Be Light in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

ex libris—why it matters that Jesus is a prophet
Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Pope Benedict XVI examines the importance of Jesus’ role as a prophet in connection with what’s written about Jesus by the four Evangelists. The primary Old Testament passages are from the book of Deuteronomy, with special attention paid to the book of Deuteronomy 34:10: “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face … .” According to the the former Pope, a curious melancholy hangs over this promise and gives it a twist that takes it far beyond the institution of prophecy and gives the figure of the prophet its true meaning. Visit ex libris—main bookshelf to read an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s book—one of three in the monumental Jesus of Nazareth series—and to find other recommended books.

five important transitional figures
Scripture includes a number of figures who foreshadow Jesus, but five stand out because they fulfill multiple roles in God’s ultimate plan for humanity—Moses, Samuel, David, Ezra, and John (called the Baptist in the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but more accurately thought of as a witness in the Gospel According to John). Moses, a self-proclaimed prophet, also functions as a political leader of the people who gives them God’s law. Samuel, a judge or leader who also is a prophet and hereditary priest, anoints the first kings to rule the 12 tribes of Israel. David, the greatest of those kings, reorganizes the priesthood and also functions as a prophet. Ezra, a priest, gains political clout after the Exile through his knowledge of the law. And Jesus’ cousin John is a prophet in the priestly line of Aaron who introduces a major change in traditional Jewish worship practices.

an early designation of a kingdom of priests
Before the descendants of Aaron are identified as priests, the book of Exodus 19:3–6 records the LORD telling Moses: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Two significant points in this passage are: 1) God stipulates that in order for the children of Israel—the descendants of Jacob—to be his priests they’ll be required to obey God’s voice and keep his covenant, and 2) if the people manage this, they’ll become a kingdom of priests. At this time in salvation history, God is king ruling over his people. Because the descendants of Jacob are unable to obey God and keep his covenant, God will institute a change not only in how he sets up the priesthood but also in the original concept of kingdom. Consider how these change with the coming of Jesus, and why it is that God doesn’t do away with either the priesthood or the kingdom.

examining the relationship between Aaron & Moses
The fourth chapter in the book of Exodus records that when God first calls Moses, Moses opts out of anything to do with public speaking. This extremely important detail is often overlooked in terms of development of the roles of priest and of prophet. Although called to be a prophet and to serve as the mouthpiece for God, Moses at first insists on refusing to do the actual speaking. As a result, the LORD appoints Aaron to handle that portion of the job. The book of Exodus 4:16 records God’s instructions to Moses concerning how his relationship with Aaron will function: “He shall speak for you to the people; and he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.” You can learn more about this interaction between Moses and God in Lesson 4 God Sends Aaron to Help Moses in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

what Matthew says—Moses serves God, but Aaron serves Moses
Because Moses didn’t assume the full role of speaking God’s word himself, the role of speaking and later on other related responsibilities of the priesthood are delegated to Moses’ brother Aaron. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains on the video for this lesson that Moses and Aaron end up sharing the role of prophet, but Moses is the person with whom the LORD has a direct relationship. Aaron’s relationship is with Moses and not with the LORD. As a result, Moses never fully acts as prophet, and Aaron never fully acts as priest. All future legitimate prophets follow in Moses’ footsteps in terms of each having a close relationship with God—and they also manage to speak for God. Future priests, unfortunately, follow in Aaron’s footsteps. Because Aaron relies on Moses as an intermediary with the LORD and doesn’t himself have a close relationship with God, the priesthood defers to Moses’ relationship with the LORD. Even at the time of Jesus, we see much evidence in the New Testament Gospels that the priests continue to depend on the law of Moses.

WHAT DO YOU THINK will fix the priesthood?
Prior to and leading to the beginning of the Aaronic priesthood, is in incident of the golden calf, recorded in the book of Exodus 32:1–29. At this critical period in salvation history, the book of Exodus describes how Aaron functions without the guidance of Moses. Nevertheless, both Moses and Aaron are essential to the Old Covenant, just as both Jesus and his cousin John are essential to the New.

? What might explain why Aaron didn’t accompany Moses up the mountain to speak with the LORD?
? Who apparently did accompany Moses, and what might this foreshadow in salvation history?
? In the book of Exodus 32:7, how does the LORD refer to the people who have come out of Egypt?
? In the book of Exodus 32:10, what does the LORD suggest that he will do for Moses after first destroying the people at the foot of the mountain?
? What does Moses’ response indicate about his understanding of his role in relationship to God and the people?
? After heading off the LORD’s wrath against the people, how does Moses react when he returns to the camp and sees the people dancing and frolicking around the golden calf?
? How does Aaron explain what happened while Moses was on the mountain with the LORD?
? How do members of the tribe of Levi come to be chosen for service to the LORD?
? What might suggest that a hereditary priesthood through the line of Aaron could pose future problems?
? What’s the purpose of the priesthood?
? Consider whether humanity can do without a priesthood.
? Cite examples from the Old Testament to indicate ways in which the priesthood follows in the footsteps of Aaron.
? Cite examples from the Old Testament to indicate ways in which the prophets resemble Moses.
? Consider what might explain why there are no prophets in the present day who resemble Old Testament prophets.
? What exactly are the terms of the Old Covenant, and how does the New Covenant differ from it?
? How are the two covenants the same?

what’s the role of a prophet?
The book of Deuteronomy 18:18 is the primary Old Testament Scripture that caused the people at the time of Jesus to latch onto the idea that Jesus’ cousin John (called the Baptist in the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but more accurately referred to as a witness in the Gospel According to John) might be Moses. In this verse from the book of Deuteronomy, the LORD defines the role of a prophet. While God foretells that the future prophet will be like Moses, there’s one significant way that this prophet will differ—and it’s a difference shared by all of the Old Testament prophets who come after Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” After Moses, there will be no more intermediary figures between the people and the prophet. Moses will, however, continue to stand as an intermediary figure between the Aaronic priests and the LORD.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT the failure of the priesthood?
The First Book of Samuel 2:27–35 introduces an unnamed prophet (referred to only as a “man of God”) who foretells that the priestly house of Eli is going to fall because Eli’s sons have been greedy and selfish when they were offering sacrifices to the LORD.

? How does the LORD plan to bring about the demise of the house of Eli?
? What might explain why the LORD has decided to go back on his word regarding his promise of a hereditary priesthood?
? Consider why God doesn’t altogether do away with the priesthood.
? In what way does the First Book of Samuel 2:30 resemble the book of Deuteronomy 18:18?
? Consider how the LORD’s promise to raise up a single faithful priest is fulfilled by Jesus.
? How does Jesus continue to fulfill this role of faithful priest in the present-day Church?

how David changes the priesthood
The reign of David ushers in a significant change in the priesthood, one in which the king assumes priestly functions. Although David isn’t a Levite—he belongs to the tribe of Judah—as king he takes upon himself duties of blessing and sacrifice reserved for priests, and he reorganizes the priesthood. David’s actions underscore his understanding that God is the rightful king over all of the descendants of Jacob. Learn more in Lesson 13 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

? Consider whether separation of Church and state is a good thing or a bad thing in the present day.
? In what ways does the ministerial priesthood of our Church support the reign of Christ the King?
? How can individual Catholics support Jesus as king?

now let’s look at the promise of an eternal king
In the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–16, the LORD promises to raise up a descendant of David who will rule over a kingdom that God will establish to last forever. This promise, which is the foundation for the idea of a Messiah to come who will be anointed by God and rule as king forever, comes after God’s promise of a prophet and after a similar promise of a priest.

? What might explain the order in which God makes these promises to humanity?
? Why does God apparently seem to be unconcerned about maintaining the hereditary nature of the Aaronic priesthood?
? Why might the LORD have decided not to hesitate to establish an eternal worldly kingship with a descendant of David?
? Consider whether the LORD is promising eternal kingship to only one of David’s descendants or to a line of his hereditary descendants.
? Consider whether God may have intended this promised kingship to include elements of the priesthood the same way in which David’s kingship did.

Melchizedek is a mysterious priest-king
The first priest encountered in the Old Testament is Melchizedek, who makes a brief appearance in the book of Genesis 14:17–20. In that account, he’s described as “priest of God Most High” and as “king of Salem.” Not only is Salem associated with what later becomes the holy city of Jerusalem, the Hebrew word salem means “peace” as well, making Melchizedek “king of peace” as well as priest. Worth notingis that Melchizedek combines both kingly and priestly roles, something that David also later does. Learn more about Abram’s relationship to Melchizedek in Lesson 8 The Call of Abram in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

a changing narrative
With the Levitical priesthood, all mention of the patriarchal blessing bestowed by Melchizedek on Abraham and passed down through the patriarchs disappears from the Old Testament. The priestly functions of blessing and sacrifice appear to operate disparately until Jesus.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about Melchizedek’s offering?
We received the following note from one of the participants in this study:

I wonder if the offering of bread and wine that Melchizedek brings out when Abraham visits him in the book of Genesis 14:17–20 is some sort of peace offering or thanksgiving offering. I know technically those fall under the Aaronic priesthood, but there certainly are some similarities, and considering that Melchizedek is identified in the biblical text as “king of peace,” it would make sense. It also would suggest an earlier and more primary function of the priesthood than forgiveness of sins—offering thanks to God. That might be a bit of a stretch, though.

Perhaps the offering of Melchizedek deals with life whereas the Levitical priesthood deals with death. When one is eternal (as Melchizedek seems to be), death needn’t be accounted for, and so sacrifice isn’t necessary or relevant. Thanksgiving then would become a morefitting primary function. In the first volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, we learned that Elijah is concerned with death and Elisha with life. The Levitical priesthood necessarily is obsessed with death because all of humanity is dying, and all the priests really can do is kill. Even when the Aaronic priesthood is trying to grant life, it does so by killing.

pray with the Psalms—a curious detail about Melchizedek
There are only two places in the Old Testament that refer to Melchizedek—a few verses in the fourteenth chapter in the book of Genesis and Psalm 110—yet these two brief passages have led to the idea that this important biblical figure is eternal. Christians interpret Psalm 110 to be a reference to Jesus. Prayed at Sunday Second Vespers (Weeks I and II), Psalm 110 is included as part of Lesson 3 You Are a Priest Forever and Lesson 17 The LORD Has Sworn an Oath, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

is it line of Melchizedek or order of Melchizedek?
Some translations render Psalm 110:4 as “The LORD has sworn an oath he will not change: ‘You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.’” In The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a newer translation of Psalm 110 reprinted in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church, the word “order” is substituted for the word “line.” The two words mean essentially the same thing, though “order” carries with it religious connotations while “line” implies a hereditary connection. “Order” appears to be a more prevalent usage.

read the Catechism—holy orders in the Church
Paragraph 1537 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo.” Paragraph 1538 in the Catechism goes on to teach that today the word ordination refers to the sacramental act that integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters (priests), or deacons. The Church teaches that ordination confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power” that can come only from Christ himself through his Church.

1537 The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the Church there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred Scripture, has since ancient times called taxeis (Greek) or ordines. And so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum, the ordo presbyterorum, the ordo diaconorum. Other groups also receive this name of ordo: catechumens, virgins, spouses, widows, … .

1538 Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. Today the word “ordination” is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power” (sacra potestas) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination.

the Letter to the Hebrews reflects Judaism’s roots
We well might expect the Letter to the Hebrews to be called the Letter to the Jews. Use of the word “Jews” in that title would suggest that the book’s intended New Testament audience was composed of 1st-century practitioners of the law-based religion of Judaism, which developed after 538 B.C. when the Babylonian Exile came to an end. The word Hebrews indicates that this explanation of Christianity instead is tied to the foundations of Judaism, which is built on much older Hebrew religious tradition. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation provides more information about how it is that Jesus’ sacrifice is able to bring about the possibility of salvation for humanity.

Jesus didn’t go to seminary
It can be surprising to read in the Letter to the Hebrews 2:17 that Jesus is a priest, and a high priest at that, since he isn’t directly described as such in the four Gospels. Jesus somehow has been able to assume a valid priesthood, even though he isn’t a descendant of Aaron and hasn’t been ordained in the regular sense. The priesthood of Jesus is critical to understanding how Jesus is able to bring about the possibility of salvation for all men and women. It’s related to the problem the author is addressing, which is that humanity has failed to follow God’s law and so all men and women are doomed to die. This is the problem that God wants to solve by sending his Son. Consider what Jesus’ priesthood looks like it and how it accomplishes our salvation. What in the Gospels does suggest Jesus is a priest?

what Matthew says—the lineage of Jesus
The genealogy in the Gospel According to Matthew 1:1–16 establishes Jesus as a direct descendant of Abraham, while the genealogy in the Gospel According to Luke 3:23–38 traces Jesus’ ancestry to Adam. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps observes that The Gospel According to John takes a different approach, presenting a divine rather than human perspective. In the prologue in the Fourth Gospel, the Evangelist focuses on the presence of the Word at Creation, intentionally ignoring Jesus’ earthly ancestors to emphasize Jesus’ divine pedigree—that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God.

Jesus’ priesthood is based on more than nepotism
In the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1–14, the author relies on Psalm 110 to support his claim that the priesthood of Jesus differs from the hereditary Aaronic priesthood. If the distinguishing factor about Melchizedek’s priesthood is that Melchizedek is eternal, then the eternal nature of God’s Son places Jesus in the order of Melchizedek, an older order of priesthood than the hereditary Aaronic priesthood.

at the heart of Jesus’ priestly sacrifice
In the Letter to the Hebrews 7:12, the author explains the underlying spiritual rule that governs why it is that humanity’s salvation no longer depends on our being able to perfectly follow the Old Covenant: “For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.” In the Letter to the Hebrews 7:20–22, the author explains that under the Old Testament covenant, there were lots of priests. There had to be. All of the priests of the Old Covenant were subject to death. They kept dying, so it was necessary that they continue to be replaced. They weren’t eternal, and they couldn’t serve forever. Their function was to offer sacrifices for their own sins and for the sins of the people—and they were required to do this daily. Jesus still carries out the sacrificial function of a priest but in a different way. Because Jesus is eternal, so is the perfect sacrifice that he offers.

why this is a hard thing to think about
This is a hard concept for humans to wrap our heads around. Because of the way our political systems function, we expect to see a change in the law precede any change in the priesthood, but this isn’t what happens in Scripture. Each time the priesthood undergoes a change—and that doesn’t happen often in salvation history—there’s a corresponding change in the law. It’s for this reason that the Evangelist John focuses the beginning of the Fourth Gospel on the work of Jesus’ cousin John (called the Baptist in the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but more accurately called a witness in the Gospel According to John). It’s critical that Jesus’ cousin has been born into the line of hereditary priests—but John isn’t functioning in the standard way of Old Testament priests.

continuing to look at the relationship between Jesus & his cousin
The Gospel According to John 1:19–33 repeats biblical text from Lesson 20 The Voice in the Wilderness in this study. Additional information about this section in the Fourth Gospel can be found in Lesson 2 And This Is the Testimony of John in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

Jesus’ cousin John has abandoned animal sacrifice
The primary duty of a priest is to forgive sins. (Priests also are to serve as mediators between God and the people.) This is true in the present-day Church under the New Covenant just as it was true under the Old Covenant—but the rules about how priests do this have changed. In the Old Testament, there was animal sacrifice, but instead of sacrificing animals at the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus’ cousin John has removed himself from the primary center of worship in Judea to go instead into the wilderness, where he’s baptizing people in the Jordan River. Jesus’ cousin also is preaching the urgent need for repentance. There’s no doubt that he’s familiar with the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice; the Gospel According to John 1:29 describes him identifying Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” an image that draws on the history of the descendants of Jacob when they were preparing to leave Egypt. For more information about Jesus as the Lamb of God, see Lesson 2 And This Is the Testimony of John in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

so what is it that Jesus’ cousin is doing?
Why is it that Jesus’ cousin John is ignoring the rules established for the hereditary priesthood? This is the same thing that the Pharisees and Sadducees are wondering in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus’ cousin himself explains that his baptisms are nothing like the sacramental Baptism that Jesus will initiate, so why is John performing them instead of slaughtering animals? The obvious answer is that, amazing as this appears to be, in John’s role as a prophet he can see the significance of who Jesus is and what it is that Jesus has come to do. The priesthood changes with Jesus, but Jesus’ cousin John as a prophet is privileged to be able to look ahead and see that this is about to happen—and to understand it.

what exactly changes about the law?
In the Gospel According to John 13:34–35, the Evangelist describes Jesus explaining the way in which the Old Covenant law has given way to the New: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The difference is that instead of 10 negative Commandments, Jesus now has given humanity only one positive commandment. Unlike the law of Moses, which was written on stone, this new commandment is written on our hearts, something that the LORD foretold through the Old Testament prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah 31:33: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

a Lenten meditation that touches on this theme
The following reflection by Father Daniel Petsche, O.S.B., a monk at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri, echoes the idea that in the Old Testament Moses serves as an intermediary to God. Father Daniel writes that in the long list of regulations in the book of Leviticus, the voice of God seems to be far off and dependent on a prophet. He points out how law given by Jesus in the New Covenant differs. Father Daniel’s reflection is based on the readings for the first Monday in Lent during 2022 (the book of Leviticus 19:1–2 and 19:11–18; Psalm 19:7–10 and 15; and the Gospel According to Matthew 25:31–46 [NABRE]). You can access daily reflections by different monks at Conception Abby here.

“How different is the discussion of ‘do’s and don’ts’ in today’s Gospel? Here, there is no middle man. In a very jolting revelation, Jesus points out his personal relationship with each of us in mind, heart, and conscience. This living presence of Jesus within us becomes the motivation to respect authentic law and to reach out in compassion to others. …. Our response to authentic law is based on our intimate knowledge and respect for the mind of the divine lawgiver. Our neglect or rejection of authentic law is subject to the judgment of our own informed conscience and therefore cries out for reconciliation when needed.”

baptism—you could look it up in our archives
The crucial difference between how the priesthood functions in the New Testament and how it functioned in the Old can be seen in how sins are dealt with. The first mention of this shows up at the beginning of all four Gospels when Jesus’ cousin John appears baptizing people. His actions are addressed directly in the three synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke; the Gospel According to John, Jesus’ cousin simply explains that he doesn’t equate the baptisms he’s performing with future Baptisms done by Jesus. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps examines the odd, conflicting descriptions of Jesus being baptized by John. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

read the Catechism—Christians share in Jesus’ mission
Paragraphs 784, 785, and 786 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church provide specific details about how it is that baptized Christians share in Jesus’ offices of priest, prophet, and king.

784 On entering the People of God through faith and Baptism, one receives a share in this people’s unique, priestly vocation: “Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men, has made this new people ‘a kingdom of priests to God, his Father.’ The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.”

785 “The holy People of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office,” above all in the supernatural sense of faith that belongs to the whole People, lay and clergy, when it “unfailingly adheres to this faith … once for all delivered to the saints,” and when it deepens its understanding and becomes Christ’s witness in the midst of this world.

786 Finally, the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection. Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” For the Christian, “to reign is to serve him,” particularly when serving “the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder.” The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.

The sign of the cross makes kings of all those reborn in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them as priests, so that, apart from the particular service of our ministry, all spiritual and rational Christians are recognized as members of this royal race and sharers in Christ’s priestly office. What, indeed, is as royal for a soul as to govern the body in obedience to God? And what is as priestly as to dedicate a pure conscience to the Lord and to offer the spotless offerings of devotion on the altar of the heart?

how is this relevant?
In addition to forgiving sins and giving us the possibility to share in eternal life, the sacrament of Baptism also prepares us to participate in the mission of Jesus through the three offices of priest, prophet, and king. Each lesson in the study book Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains commentaries designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to present-day Christians.

? What might God want you to do to promote Christianity in order to help bring about the kingdom of heaven on earth?
? If you aren’t an ordained priest, consider how you function as part of the priesthood of believers.
? If you’re an ordained priest, what can you do to make your priesthood more fruitful?
? In what specific way can an individual Christian act as a prophet or mouthpiece for God?
? Consider what others might be able to see in you as evidence that not only does God rule in your life but also that you participate in God’s reign by governing your behavior?

dominant political powers leading to Jesus
To help keep track historically of what’s been going on in the Old Testament, here’s an overview of the powers that governed God’s people for roughly 1,000 years leading to the time of Jesus.

From the middle of the 11th century B.C. to 930 B.C., the descendants of Jacob are ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon. Prior to that God is king over Abraham’s descendants, who first are referred to as Hebrews (descendants of Eber) and later, after the time of Jacob, as Israelites. They won’t be called Jews until the law-based religion of Judaism develops around the end of the Babylonian Exile. (Descendants of Jacob’s son Judah properly are called Judahites.)
In 930 B.C., Solomon dies and the United Kingdom divides. The descendants of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin establish the southern kingdom of Judah, which lasts until 586 B.C. In 930 B.C., the remaining descendants of Jacob form the northern kingdom of Israel, which is conquered by the Assyrians in 722–721 B.C.
The Babylonians’ defeat of the southern kingdom leads to the Babylonian Exile, which occurs in three waves. In 539 B.C., the Babylonians are conquered by the Persians, who begin to rule over the descendants of Judah and Benjamin living in exile in Babylon. It’s during this time that many of the exiles are allowed to return to their homeland.
The Persian Empire eventually is swallowed up by the Macedonian Empire of Philip, which passes to his son Alexander the Great, born in 356 B.C. The reign of Alexander brings the inhabitants of Judah under the rule of the Macedonians and jump-starts the introduction of Greek language and culture throughout the ancient world.
At the death of Alexander in 323 B.C., control of his empire passes to four of his generals. By 301 B.C., infighting reduces these powers to two—the Ptolemies in the south and the Seleucids in the north. The Ptolemies are the first to hold sway over the territory of Judah, which at that time begins to be called Judea.
In 198 B.C., the Seleucids take control of Judea. The Seleucids promote strict adherence to Greek cultural practices, which leads to religious persecution of Jews living in the region.
The Maccabean Revolt takes hold in 167 B.C., bringing Judea a brief period of independence while the Seleucid Empire falls into steady decline under repeated attacks from the Roman Republic.
In 141 B.C., the Maccabees establish the Hasmonean dynasty and begin to rule Judea.
In 63 B.C., the Hasmonean’s kingdom comes under Roman control. Julius Caesar appoints the Edomite Antipater as the first Roman procurator to govern Judea. His descendants—Herod (the Great) and Herod Archelaus—him. Herod Archelaus proves so cruel a ruler that Rome is forced to send in a Roman procurator to govern Judea. (Scholars date the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire to around 30 B.C.)
At the time of Jesus, a third descendant of Antipater, Herod Antipas, is ruling the region of Galilee. The Roman procurator of Judea is Pontius Pilate.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the following passages from this lesson: the book of Deuteronomy 18:15–22 and the First Book of Samuel 2:27–35.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Exodus 32:1–29 (NIV)
the book of Deuteronomy 18:15–22 (NIV)
the First Book of Samuel 2:27–35 (NIV)
the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–16 (NIV)
the book of Genesis 14:17–20 (NIV)
Psalm 110:1–4 (NIV)
the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1–14 (NIV)
the Letter to the Hebrews 7:11–16 (NIV)
the Gospel According to John 1:19–33 (NIV)
the Gospel According to John 13:34–35 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

God Most High, maker of heaven and earth,
you anointed your Son with your Holy Spirit
and established him as eternal priest, prophet, and king.
In your steadfast love, strengthen our baptismal graces
that we may more fully use our gifts to share
in the responsibility for mission and service in your Church.
We ask this in the name of your only-begotten Son, Jesus,
who spoke in your name all the words that you commanded
and by his obedience opened the door to eternal life. Amen.

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”