1. The Synoptic Gospels.— Although these do not employ the title ' mediator,' they throughout imply tliat the teaching, life, and death of Jesus were mediatorial. The familiar old division of His mediatorial functions into those of Prophet, Priest, and King is roughly correct, though it may be better to designate them as those of Pro- phet, King, and Redeemer. By such a division we are able to MtuI a more natural place for those passages in the Synoptic Gospels Avhich speak of His atoning work, than if we use the word ' Priest.' We are also able to do more iustice to the truth that He revealed Himself as already the Messiah during 'the days of his flesh,' and did not teach that His Messianic Kingdom was only an attixir of the future.
(a) The ' wisdom ' of our Lord impressed His hearers at Nazareth, and when they were offended at the ditt'erence which thej' noted between Him and His humble family, Jesus said, 'A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house' (Mt 13''^"^). Here He seems in some way to claim the office of a prophet. And there are several passages which show that the ordinary people inclined to regard Him as a Pro- phet. See, fully, under art. Prophet.
{b) He is also K'nuj. He claimed to fulfil the Jewish expectation of an ideal King, the Messiah. This cannot be reasonably disputed, in spite of the fact that this claim did not represent all that He was and all that He demanded. The confession of His Messiahship by St. Peter, the dispute be- tween His disciples for places of honour, and especially the desire of the sons of Zebedee to sit on His right hand and His left, cannot be thrown aside as legendary inventions. Nor can we fail to see the Messianic meaning of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His trial and answer to the high priest (Mk 14''-), and the inscription ' The King of the Jews' upon the cross. Apart from His Messianic claim, His life and His death become unintelligible, altiiough He used the actual title very seldom, and rather avoided it on account of the political associations which clung to it. See, further, artt. KING and Kingdom of God.
(f) Jesus, who is Mediator in revealing God, is also Mediator in redeeming vum. He offered to th« Father a sacrifice of perfect human obedience which effected a new relation between God and mankind. It was a reparation to God for the dis- obedience of man.
In dealing with the redemptive work of Christ, we have to consider as of primary importance the place occupied by His death in the theology as well as in the history of the Synoptics. It is frequently asserted or hinted that He did not foresee Hi's ileath until an advanced period in His ministry, and that, when He found that it was inevitable. He did not attribute to it any power of obtaining the remission of sins. These two theories do not eluci- date the Gosi)els, but simi)ly contradict tliem. All the accounts of our Lord's baptism represent Him as hearing the words which declare that He is tlie Son in whom the Father is well pleased (Mt 3''^, Mk 1", Lk 3-'-). He was, therefore, from the first conscious that He fulhlled the Isaianic picture of the Servant of the Lord, who dies as a guilt- offering for the peojile. In submitting to bajjtism, He identilied Him.self with a race that has sinned ; in submitting to the subsequent temptation. He identified Himself with a race which suffers when Satan lures it to sin. He also predicted His death early in His ministry. He is tlie bridegroom who will be taken away in the midst of ]oy, and His disciides will fast at that day (]Mk 2i"- -^'). Later, He tells how He has to submit to the baptism of His Passion,, and feels anguish \intil it is accom- plished. He dreads it ; but He desires it, because it is the nece.'^sary preliminary of His kindling a sacred tire on earth (Lk 12^-'). With these words we must compare the question addressed to the ambitious sons of Zebedee, whether they can drink of His cull •'^"'^l ^'^ bai^tized with His baptism (Mk 10^). The bajitism and the cup represent the will of the Father with all the suffering which the doing of that will entailed. What that suffering was the story of (iethsemane tells us. It was there th.at He, with a final effort of His liuman will, identi- fied Himself wholly with the Servant 'wounded for our transgressions.' But this identification had been outlined long before in the words, ' Whosoever would be first among you shall be servant of all. For verily the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many' (Mk 10^^). This acceptance of death was not a mere example of perfect resignation. He had taught His discijiles not to fear those who kill the body (Mt I0-»), He had assured them that 'he that findeth his life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it' (10^'-'). But the disciple who loses his life for Christ's sake does not necessarily win any life excejit his own, whereas Christ's death avails 'for many.' With this pre- diction we must connect the words used at the institution of the Lord's Supper. Assuming that Christ did institute this sacrament, we may also assume that He who taught His own not to fear those who kill the body, did not mean that when His blood was shed ' for many ' it was shed to .save them from being killed by the Jews or Romans. Whether He did or did not .add the words ' for the remission of sins,' He must have meant th.at a new covenant was being made between Ciod and man. His death had some special value in itself, or else the Church would not have continued to show- forth the Lord's death (1 Co 1F«). The special value which He attached to His own death is made jtlain by the account of the Lord's Supper con- tained in the Petrine Gospel of St. Mark no less than in the Pauline Gospel of St. Luke. The sheilding of Christ's blood seals a covenant similar to the initial covenant made by Moses between God and the people (Ex 24^"**) ; it consecrates anew peoi)le to God. It also fulfils Jeremiahs prophecy of a new covenant, of which the very founclation was the forgiveness of sins (Jer 3F^). And, like the blood of the Paschal lamb, the blood of Jesus saves His people from a destruction that comes from God. With this sacrifice of Jesus His disciples are