What the Person and Work of Jesus Really Means
Christians, rightly called “people of the cross,” look to Jesus’s death and resurrection as the central points of his earthly mission. But in order to understand more fully the person and work of Christ, it’s important for believers to fix their minds on his entire ministry—his life, death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry today—and not solely on his work on the cross.
In Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, Jonty Rhodes uses the traditional roles of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king (often referred to as his “threefold office”) to show how his whole life—in humiliation on earth and now exaltation in glory—is lived for us. As believers explore Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, they will develop a holistic portrait of the Messiah and a deeper appreciation for God’s plan to reclaim sinners.
Read Chapter 1
Part 1: The Journey of the Son of God
Chapter 1: Man of Sorrows! What a Name: The Whole Christ and the Whole Cross
Chapter 2: For the Son of God, Who Came: The Person of Christ
Part 2: To the Far Country: Christ's Humiliation
Chapter 3: Bearing Shame and Scoffing Rude: The Humiliation of Christ
Chapter 4: "It Is Finished!" Was His Cry: The Humiliation of Christ Our Prophet
Chapter 5: In My Place Condemned He Stood: The Humiliation of Christ Our Priest
Chapter 6: Ruined Sinners to Reclaim: The Humiliation of Christ Our King
Part 3: To the Father's Right Hand: Christ's Exaltation
Chapter 7: Now in Heaven Exalted High: The Exaltation of Christ
Chapter 8: Then Anew This Song We'll Sing: The Exaltation of Christ Our Prophet
Chapter 9: Sealed My Pardon with His Blood: The Exaltation of Christ Our Priest
Chapter 10: When He Comes Our Glorious King: The Exaltation of Christ Our King
Author
Jonty Rhodes is minister of Christ Church Central Leeds, a congregation of the International Presbyterian Church in Leeds, United Kingdom. He has spent the last ten years planting churches in England and is the author of Covenants Made Simple. Jonty is married to Georgina, and they have four children.
Endorsements
“Too often, Christians think narrowly about Jesus’s saving work, as though saying ‘Christ died for our sins’ exhausts the gospel. Jonty Rhodes gives us a more full-orbed view of the work of Christ, taking us back to classical formulations of Christ’s threefold office (prophet, priest, and king) and twofold state (humiliation and exaltation). Man of Sorrows, King of Glory is theologically rich while remaining accessible and devotional. This edifying book will help Christians understand Jesus more fully and love him more deeply.”
Gavin Ortlund, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Ojai; author, Finding the Right Hills to Die On
“As soon as we begin to speak of Jesus, we’re doing the work of theology. This book provides sound teaching for that task, exploring the person and work of Christ with a fresh sense of wonder. Man of Sorrows, King of Glory is rich without being dense, theological without being stuffy, and corrective without being combative.”
Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author, Even Better than Eden
“This book is full of biblical insight and draws on a rich stock of historic Reformed theologians. In Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, we move from Adam to the new creation and see how in Christ’s exaltation he becomes the human king the world has been awaiting. Jonty Rhodes shows that the death and resurrection of Jesus have so much more importance for Christians than we usually recognize.”
Simon Gathercole, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, University of Cambridge
“Pastor Jonty Rhodes’s words comfort us that our dear Savior, Jesus Christ, is both immanently sympathetic and transcendently sovereign. This book helps inform us how understanding Christ’s threefold office as our prophet who teaches us, our priest who mediates for us, and our king who rules over us makes a daily difference.”
Karen Hodge, Coordinator of CDM Women’s Ministries, Presbyterian Church in America; coauthor, Transformed
“Some people think that being Reformed means believing in the five solas of the Reformation or the five points of Calvinism. In his book Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, Jonty Rhodes shows us that the Reformed faith is deeper and broader, as he invites us to look at the person and work of Christ from the perspective of his twofold state (humiliation and exaltation) and threefold office (prophet, priest, and king) set within the drama of the relationship between Father and Son. This book helps us understand the gospel through new eyes as we see the rich structures that undergird Reformed theology. I hope all Christian ministers will encourage every church member to read it!”
Jonathan Gibson, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary
“Rare are the books that make forgotten theology accessible. Rarer still are those that do so while retaining their sense of wonder. In Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, we dive deep into ancient truths concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Combining biblical insight with devotional application, this book is one to read slowly, prayerfully, and joyfully. And as we do so, we can’t fail to find ourselves in awe and love and praise at the humiliation and exaltation of so great a Savior.”
Dave Gobbett, Lead Minister, Highfields Church, Cardiff, Wales; Trustee, World Alive
“In this clear and engaging study of, and meditation on, our Lord’s threefold office, Jonty Rhodes reaches beyond the academic community to hold out great encouragement to the contemporary church. The theological significance and pastoral relevance of understanding Christ as our prophet, priest, and king is explained and applied in this book in a way that stirs the heart to worship. Indeed, the emphasis on the ongoing nature of the Lord’s work in his church today is a particular highlight of the book that will refresh how many of us think about the Christian life.”
Reuben Hunter, Lead Pastor, Trinity West Church, London
