Dad as Prophet, Priest, and King

You wear a lot of hats. Yesterday I fulfilled the roles of coach, provider, nurse, and toy turtle doctor to name a few. To be intentional as a father means you step into various roles. The fact that you’re reading a blog with Latin in the title proves you’re intentional about wearing hats seriously.

You may (or may not) be wondering what in the world “Munus Triplex” means. It was John Calvin’s way of talking about Jesus’ threefold office of prophet, priest, and king. Throughout Christ’s ministry on earth we see him realize these three offices perfectly, and I suggest that in our homes, we must represent him in these three offices faithfully.

Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King

Let me briefly overview Christ’s fulfillment of this triple idea. We see these roles standardized in the Old Testament and brought to both fulfillment and perfection in Jesus. They are not merely descriptors of Jesus’ ministry. They are specific roles which we need Jesus to fulfill for our redemption and our life in him.

Christ as Prophet

Remember, prophets represent God to the people. There are a number of ways to demonstrate the prophetic ministry of Jesus, but to summarize Deut. 18:15 predicts that a prophet greater than Moses is coming. This means at least two things. First, that the coming prophet would speak a better word. Jesus brings that better word when he gives a “new commandment” (John 13:34) better than the law. Secondly, it means a greater deliverer is on the way. Moses frees Israel from Egypt and institutes the first covenant. Jesus frees sinners from death by fulfilling the New Covenant.

Christ the Priest

Priests represent the people to God. They minister on their behalf as representatives. Under the priesthood of the old covenant the priest ministered the regulations and sacrifices in the tabernacle or temple. Christ is the “Great High Priest” who has passed through the Heavens (Heb. 4:14). He doesn’t merely mediate the sacrifices but becomes them (Heb. 10). He is the self-giving life-giving minister.

Christ as the King

Every bad king of the Old Testament points to the goodness of Christ and every “good” king points to the supremacy of Christ. He brings a reign of goodness and righteousness (Isa. 9:1-7). He will make everything wrong in the world right and every injustice will cease. So as we bend the knee to him in honor, we may also look to him for hope.

You as the Prophet, Priest, and King

It is true that you do not professionally maintain these offices, but remember that you are a representative of Jesus in your parenting. We are to be to our children who Jesus is to us. We are to minister Christ’s person and work in all of our relationships, but most of all to our family. So as a dad, you serve as an extension of Christ’s prophetic authority, his priestly ministry, and his reign of righteousness.

You as the Prophet

Remember, prophets represent God before the people. So we should:

• Set a culture of word-centeredness in the home.
• Teach the scriptures and hold our little listeners to account.
• Maintain gracious authority in the home.
• Lead in our family’s separateness from sin.
• Challenge our family to greater spiritual passion and obedience.

You as the Priest

If priests represented the people before God, we should:

• Pray constantly for our wife and kids.
• Lead in a spirit of confession and repentance.
• Take sin and worship seriously.
• Lead in thanksgiving for the gospel.
• Be a life-giver by leading in self-giving.

You as King

Ok, let’s be careful with this one. Don’t go tell your wife that you read this family blog saying that she should crown you. Remember we are representatives of these roles, not the thing itself. Dominion in Eden (Gen. 1-2) was a family affair, but let’s not take it too far.

If we are to represent the goodness of Christ’s rule, we should:

• Care about dealing with children justly.
• Value and cultivate mercy.
• Lead in wisdom.
• Be both the presence of peace and the preserver of it.
• Build a “realm” with eternal priorities.

You are already given the immense privilege of being Christ to your life and little ones. The Munus Triplex provides us three hats to wear. We cannot do this on our own. We can only represent them partially because Christ has fulfilled them faithfully. He continually gives us grace to be what we cannot because he is gracious and faithful to be what we need.

If you seek him as your Prophet, Priest, and King, he will strengthen you to minister his word, faithfully give of yourself, and to cultivate the righteousness and mercy of his reign.