Who would envy the life of a prophet? We know from many bible stories that the lot of a prophet is often one of ridicule and rejection, if not outright danger of physical abuse and death. In addition to these overt tribulations, prophets also face the potential for a quieter but more devastating rejection – to simply be ignored. Even so, God sends out His call and, in every age, brave men and women have stepped forward to answer.
Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus
Today’s reading strings together a narrative of three prophets. Jeremiah the “weeping prophet” of the Old Testament, John the Baptist and the greatest of all human prophets, and Jesus the perfect fulfillment of priest, prophet and king as God incarnate.
The message, and reception, of each of these prophets builds on the other. Jeremiah was sent to preach repentance to the kingdom of Israel. He warned the people and leaders that they had strayed far from God’s path and that the consequence was exile and permanent estrangement from God. Jeremiah is almost stoned to death for his trouble. John the Baptist spoke real ‘truth to power’ in condemning Herod’s behavior. Herod, not necessarily for positive reasons, puts up with John’s chastisement for a time but is ultimately pressured into putting him to death. John’s martyrdom foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice and redemption to come with Jesus.
We see Jesus arriving in Nazareth to share His saving words and healing power. But the people of Nazareth are too blinded by their familiarity with Jesus to accept Him as a prophet, much less as a Messiah. Perhaps they were jealous and unable to believe someone from their own circumstances could be so special. Herod was a prideful ruler. When he made a rash promise in front of his court, he was unwilling to lose face even though caring through the promise resulted in a despicable crime.
Are We Blinded?
Does our familiarity with the Church and all it provides – the Mass, the Eucharist, the sacraments, the saints – blind us to the prophets in our midst today? Because they are so familiar it is easy to miss prophetic words from the mouths of our own pious brothers and sisters.
Jealousy and pride are certainly also barriers to recognizing the words of modern-day prophets; especially when those words call into question our own behavior. We are called to be prophets ourselves. Surely this call includes attentiveness to catch the prophetic words spoken to us in the here and now. Yes, we certainly need to be aware of the teachings of the prophets from scripture. But let us not forget living prophets continue to speak to us today. Will we hear their call?
Thank you for this moving message as I wake up and prepare for our musical ministry project. I have always been fascinated by prophecy, even to the extent of developing a career around teaching it (statistical prediction), especially to the blessed youth and the marginalized. Your encouragement to work to be the prophets of our troubled times is greatly appreciated.