Who is “The Prophet” in John 6:14?

Question

John 6:14

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (NASB)

Who is “The Prophet” and is he different from the Messiah? I see a Prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15, but are there other verses that mention “The Prophet”?

Answer 1

The prophet Moses spoke about:

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet from among your own people, like myself; him you shall heed. 16This is just what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb, on the day of the Assembly, saying, “Let me not hear the voice of the LORD my God any longer or see this wondrous fire any more, lest I die.” 17Whereupon the LORD said to me, “They have done well in speaking thus. 18I will raise up a prophet for them from among their own people, like yourself: I will put My words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him; 19and if anybody fails to heed the words he speaks in My name, I myself will call him to account. 20But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.” 21And should you ask yourselves, “How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by the LORD?”—22if the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the oracle does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by the LORD; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not stand in dread of him. -- Jewish Publication Society. (1985). Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Deut. 18:15–22). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.

See also:

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, (John 1:45–46, ESV)

The Prophet had a religious role like Moses. The Messiah, a descendent of David was viewed as a governmental role as king. The two roles merged with Jesus Christ.

King David, from whose line will come the messiah, -- Neusner, J., Avery-Peck, A. J., & Green, W. S. (Eds.). (2000). In The encyclopedia of Judaism (Vol. 1, p. 43). Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill.

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

Jesus before Pilate:

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 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.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33–38, ESV)

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:7–11, ESV)

Some Jewish concepts:

Jews understood themselves to have the superior culture, the one chosen by God in its every detail. If not for sin, God would surely redeem Israel immediately. With the growth of messianic longing, the codes brought stability to a world too ready to follow the next Messiah who would pronounce that Jewish piety had served its purpose to mend the broken world. -- Neusner, J., Avery-Peck, A. J., & Green, W. S. (Eds.). (2000). In The encyclopedia of Judaism (Vol. 4, p. 1659). Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill.

When Judas consistently saw Jesus making, what he felt to be, all the wrong steps to bring about a Jewish revolution against the Romans and their Temple puppets, he grew restless. He continued to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah who would free Israel from oppression. He had witnessed the majority of his miracles and saw them as signs pointing to him being the long-awaited Messiah, but disagreed with Jesus as to his methods and vision. Judas betrayed Jesus at the time of the Passover celebrations. Make no mistake, Passover was the traditional time for starting Jewish revolts.[ 41] Everyone, including Judas, knew that. He also began to implement his plan only after he saw Jesus being anointed by Mary. What pushed him over the edge was Jesus’ insistence that this story would be told for many ages to come, and to all nations. This hardly fitted the vision that Judas had for Jesus and the Kingdom of Israel. -- Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, Eli. The Jewish Gospel of John: Discovering Jesus, King of All Israel (p. 110). Jewish Studies for Christians. Kindle Edition.

Answer 2

John 6:14 is nearly at the end of the pericope of The Feeding of the Five Thousand.

This miracle is also presented by the Gospel of John as the last of Jesus' miracles in Galilee.

Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone. (John 6:15)

The reference to the Prophet is an allusion to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, at that time an eschatological figure in popular belief, not necessarily identified with the Messiah.

The prophet like Moses will proclaim the total divine will emanating from the mouth of God, and the Samaritan woman's confession attributes a similar identity to the Messiah. The dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4:7–30 describes the Messiah as the eschatological prophet in Deut 18:15–18.

Luke identifies Jesus as the Prophet like Moses in Acts 3:22 in the speech of Peter to the crowd. More, Peter in Acts presents Jesus in this role of “prophet like Moses” in his risen state.

Answer 3

In John 6:14, the men who had just seen Jesus perform the miracle of feeding 5,000 of them with five barley loaves and two fish were the ones who then concluded that Jesus must be "that prophet that should come into the world." (A.V.) They did not say who that prophet was but the next verse shows what they had in mind. "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone" (vs. 15).

Those men saw in Jesus the miracle-worker who would be the long-promised Messiah, and because their expectations of Messiah were of a glorious king who would establish the throne of David, they hoped to proclaim him their earthly king, on the spot. And Jesus, being the Son of God whose Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36-37) would have none of it.

Now, those points are gleaned from what the apostle John wrote. The account is his perspective, not that of the men who decided they wanted this Jesus to immediately become their king, as "he was the prophet that should come into the world." They did not think he could be the one who would prepare the way of the Lord, as Malachi had foretold, for John Baptist was now dead. And John was at pains to record John Baptist's denial of being "that prophet" to the Jewish priests and Levites who explicitly asked him if he was "that prophet" - John 1:19-21. Whether or not the men in 6:14 knew of that denial of John Baptist's is not stated. This is where Matthew Henry's "Commentary" brings the matter into focus:

"Note 1. Even the vulgar Jews with great assurance expected the Messiah to come into the world, and to be a great prophet. They speak here with assurance of his coming. The Pharisees despised them as not knowing the law; but it should seem, they knew more of him that is the end of the law than the Pharisees did. 2. The miracles which Jesus wrought did clearly demonstrate that he was the Messiah promised, a teacher come from God, the great prophet, and could not but convince the amazed spectators that this was he that should come. There were many who were convinced he was that prophet that should come into the world who yet did not cordially receive his doctrine, for they did not continue in it. Such a wretched incoherence and inconsistency there is between the faculties of the corrupt unsatisfied soul, that it is possible for men to acknowledge that Christ is that prophet, and yet to turn a deaf ear to him." [page 1556, middle column]

The simple fact that the men wanted to make Jesus their king, on the spot, shows who they considered him to be - the Messianic Prophet who was to reign as king over them.

This is further confirmed by Henry:

"...since royal titles are counted the most illustrious, they would make him a king, knowing that the Messiah was to be a king, and if a prophet like Moses, then a sovereign prince and lawgiver, like him; and if they cannot set him up upon the holy hill of Zion, a mountain in Galilee shall serve for the present... It was grounded on a mistake concerning the nature of Christ's kingdom, as if it were to be of this world, and he must appear with outward pomp, a crown on his head, and an army at his foot... Thus is religion often prostituted to a secular interest, and Christ is served only to serve a turn. Rom.16:18. Vix quaritur Jesus properter Jesusm, sed propter aliud - Jesus is usually sought after for something else, not for his own sake. - Augustine." [ibid.]

So, although the men who believed Jesus to be "that prophet" correctly identified him as Prophet and King, their earthly expectations of Messiah's kingship showed they did not understand how he would not begin his rule until after his resurrection and return to heaven. They could see no further than the ends of their own noses when it came to the divine nature of this one they initially wanted to be king over them.

Answer 4

The great prophecy of "that prophet" is found in Deut 18:15, 17-19

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. ... Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.

This prophecy of the "prophet like me" is interpreted by Peter as fulfilled in Jesus as Messiah in Acts 3:20, 22, 23 -

that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. ...For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people.

This same prophecy of the prophet was clearly portrayed by John several times as being understood to be fulfilled by Jesus:

• John 1:45 - that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. See also V49
• John 6:14 - When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Luke also appears to allude to the same prophecy:

• Luke 7:19 - So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Note the comments of Meyer on John 6:14 -

John 6:14-15. Ὁ προφήτης, κ.τ.λ.] the Prophet who (according to the promise in Deuteronomy 18:15) cometh into the world, i.e. the Messiah.

The Cambridge commentary is similar:

that prophet that should come Literally, the Prophet that cometh: the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15 (see on John 1:21).

The Pulpit commentary is more detailed:

This is verily the Prophet that is coming into the world. This was probably in reference to the great prediction (Deuteronomy 18:18) to which such frequent and solemn reference was made. From John 1:21, 25, we learn that the Sanhedrists distinguished between "the Christ," "the Elijah," and "that Prophet;" but these verses show how the two ideas were blended in the minds of the people. As Jesus fulfilled one or more of the predictions of the Old Testament, and embodied the foreshadowings of his entire career which were given in the temple and the sabbath, in the ritual and the priest, in the prophet and the king, it was gradually revealed to the world that in him all fulness dwelt.

Answer 5

"The Prophet" refers to the "prophet like Moses," and thus the following is expected discourse among those discsering the advent of the Messiah (for whom they confused John, His forerunner):

John 1:19-21 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No.

Which comes from:

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.

There will be another prophet, says Moses, like Moses.

How was Moses? Lawgiver. Spoke with God as with a friend. He face shone as the sun. He was leader, king, and lawgiver at once, and the mediator between God and man. He was adopted by a royal mother, the daugher of Pharaoh as an orphan. His life was sought as his very infancy. Etc.

Just as the Messiah, whose life was sought even at his birth, whose face shone as the son, who spoke to God as with a friend, whose face shone as the sun, who is the true and only mediator between God and man, and who was adopted by the virgin Mary, daughter of King David.

The expectation of "the Prophet" (ha nabi) and "the Messiah" (ha mashiah) were similar, perhaps even one (inasmuch as the "prophet like [Moses]" had not been explicitly connnected in Scripture with the Messiah).

Acts 3:20-267 That when the times of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he shall send him who hath been preached unto you, Jesus Christ, 21 Whom heaven indeed must receive, until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the beginning of the world. 22 For Moses said: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me: him you shall hear according to all things whatsoever he shall speak to you. 23 And it shall be, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and afterwards, who have spoken, have told of these days. 25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the testament which God made to our fathers, saying to Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26 To you first God, raising up his Son, hath sent him to bless you; that every one may convert himself from his wickedness.

Let the saying cease, therefore, which says that anyone who is born a son of Abraham is saved by virtue thereof. And rather let it be preached that outside Christ there is no salvation: "Abraham longed to see my day — he saw it and was glad!" (John 8:56).

Answer 6

In Jesus' contemporary culture, there appears to be a strong impression left by Malachi, who declared twice that a messenger/prophet is coming ahead of the Lord, whom he names Elijah in one case, but not in the other:¹

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6)

This is why there seems to be an obsession among the people as to when Elijah is coming and who he shall be:

"For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come." (Matthew 11:13-14)

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. (Mark 15:35-36)

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. (Luke 9:7-8)

In particular we see John introduce this in his first chapter, where it is evident that there is still some confusion as to whether there was just Elijah coming or another Prophet as well:

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:19-25)

Summary

John's audience are recalling the prophecies of Malachi and linking into contemporary cultural beliefs that Elijah was coming back before the Lord comes, and possibly another prophet too. Many had put the pieces together and understood John the Baptist was Elijah, but for others the confusion endures right through to the end of the Gospels.

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¹ Incidentally, the first case 'my messenger' is the Hebrew word 'Malachi', used commonly as the name for the author of the text. This vagueness may have contributed to the confusion around whether the Lord would send one messenger or two before he came.

Answer 7

The questions is not as straight forward as it appears and I have limited my response as much as I can.

John 6:14 – Possibly Jesus but Deuteronomy 18:15-18 *** NO***

The first point that needs to be clarified is Jesus - Son of God / God or a mere prophet. He cannot be Son of God or God but a prophet at the same time. The argument that Jesus said he is a prophet would imply that he can surely not be son of God / God. You cannot have it both ways.

However, for completeness lets look at the following:

Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (NKGV) 15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

Brethren – if it was Isaiah or Jesus - would read “from among thee and thy children.” Not Brethren - Israelites cannot be brethren to Israelites – cousins are called brethren.

Brethren has been elaborated in Genesis 16:12 “ And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” – this relates to Ishmael – based on

Genesis 25:9 “And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;” imply that Ishmael and Isaac lived together and were present at the time Abraham passed away.

Genesis 25:18 “And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren” - this verse tells us that Ishmael died in the presence of his brethren.

From your midst / from among you Acts 3:22 “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.” - No mention of ‘from the midst of thee’

See different versions below;

Like unto thee

1. Deuteronomy 34:10 10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. No further Israelite will be like Moses.
2. Isaiah 28:11 - 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, (meaning a different language)
3. Jesus Completely different to Moses i) Moses got married & had children ii) Moses had natural birth not a miraculous birth iii) Moses a mere man Not son of God
   iv) Moses died a natural death. v) Moses fought wars, spiritual and political leader, vi) Jesus died on the cross vii) Jesus resurrected viii) Moses liberated Israelites from the yoke of Pharaoh ix) Moses by and large accepted by his people – Jesus was not x) Sermon on the mount was not new laws or a new covenant Matt 5:17 to fulfill the laws that came before. xi) Miracles – many in the bible preformed miracles xii) Moses received the Torah / Law – Jesus did not give any laws xiii) Jesus laid no claim to a new Law; his disciples regarded the Law as a curse. 'And the Law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law'. (Galatians 3:12-13)

other verses

John 1:19-27 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[a] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” (note this would be Jesus) 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” (so who is that prophet)

John 7:40 “ Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet

John 15:26 - 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. (Jesus is talking about sending someone, clearly not him and not holy spirit (HS is truth, guidance strength etc…) also HS has been there since beginning and continuously in the bible)

John 16:7-8 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

John 16:13 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 14:16 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever (another / new not HS already hear of a person already hear)

John 14:30-31 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. (someone coming not here already)

John 14:26 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Luke 3:16 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. (will come – Jesus was already here)

Mark 1:7 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

Acts 3:22 (NKJV) - 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren (brethren being Isaac & Ishmael sons of Abraham). Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.

Genesis 21:13 (NKJV) - 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.” - (regarding Ishmael)

Deuteronomy 33:1-2 (NKJV) - Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel 33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said: “The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

Isaiah 29:11-12 (NKJV) - 11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a [a]book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the book is delivered to one who (no book was delivered to Jesus, the book was written by others after Jesus) is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”

Isaiah 42:1-11 talks about another elected by God - 10 Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and [d]all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains.

Habakuk Chapter 3 verse 2-4 …2O LORD, I have heard the report of You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember mercy! 3God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and His praise filled the earth. 4His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.…

Note: few points in response to Steve Taylor answer below;

1. Malachi not a problem – arguably Elijah
2. the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:19-25) – clearly 3 people (someone else other than Jesus & Elijah & not him JtB)
3. Elijah not a Brethren but from amongst as was Jesus
4. Matthew 17:12 ‘…Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him,….’ –
5. John the Baptist (JtB) says - Mark 1:7 7 And this was his message: After me comes - (Elijah already come as above talking about someone else to come)
6. Luke 3:16 – ‘…will come…’ again after JtB – Jesus hear and Elijah already come
7. John 16:7-8 – ‘...Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you;…’ (Jesus talking about someone else to come after him as do the various other verses of John will come / will send)