THE FOUR-FOLD PRESENTATION OF CHRIST

By Curtis Pugh

God the Holy Spirit has given us a four-fold presentation of Christ in the Bible. While it is impossible for mere humans to fully understand Christ, we can say and believe what God says about Him. Each one of the four Gospels presents Christ in a different light or better, as a fulfillment of God's different predictions about Him.

Matthew in his Gospel presents Christ as King. His genealogy goes back to King David and shows that Jesus Christ has a right to the throne of Israel. He is “the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,” (Revelation 5:5). Christ is prophesied to be connected with David: “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David...” as a “Branch.” (Jeremiah 33:15). Matthew is replete with the parables of Jesus concerning the yet-future kingdom which He shall establish when He returns to the earth as king, bringing His bride with Him.

Mark, in his Gospel presents Christ as Servant. Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels and does not contain much of the teaching of Jesus, but is filled with His actions. He is portrayed as going about doing good. Thus Christ fulfilled the prophecy recorded in Zechariah 3:8: “...behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”

Matthew says Jesus Christ is “the branch of righteousness. Mark says He is God's “servant the BRANCH” of David. But Luke presents Christ as the ideal man for He was the God-man. Luke's genealogy proves Jesus to be a descendant of Adam, the first man and so proves that He was God robed in human flesh. In Zechariah 6:12 we read: “...Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH...”

John in his Gospel presents Christ to us as God. He plainly says so in the first chapter. Christ the eternal Son of God took upon him a sinless human person and became at the same time the Son of Man. The prophecy of Christ's deity is found in Isaiah 4:2 where we read: “In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious...”

So it is that Jesus Christ is “the Branch of righteousness,” and at the same time
God's “servant the BRANCH.” He is also “the man whose name is The BRANCH” as well as being “the branch of the LORD.” Only if you understand Christ in God's four-fold presentation of Him can you begin to understand just who He is and perhaps catch a glimpse of His great glory and beauty.

To the child of God, having been made alive spiritually by the Holy Spirit, Christ is their Beloved. As Peter wrote: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls,” (1 Peter 1:8-9).