The popular image of a “prophet” in our culture used to be, namely, someone who foretells the future. In today’s world this image has declined somewhat. We more commonly think of a prophet today as a visionary, somebody whose grasp of the true nature of human experience and the meaning of our lives is uniquely clear and penetrating. The prophet has a vision that sees beyond the surface of things, going to the heart of the matter. Martin Luther King Jr. was prophetic not because he could predict the events of the twenty-first century but because he could see the true reality of our common humanity, all of us equal before God, all possessing the same equal rights as human persons. When Dr. King spoke of his “dream,” when he told us that he’d “been to the mountain,” he meant to convey the sense of his experience of God. He spoke of his encounter with the Mystery of God. He spoke of the gift of this encounter providing a vision, He shared that vision as a prophet among us.

In Deuteronomy today, Moses tells the people that “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.” Moses makes very clear what the special charisma of the prophet is, arising directly from God’s own powerful intervention in the life of the chosen one. The Lord says to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.” So the word the prophet speaks is God’s own word, and this word is proclaimed at God’s own direction. From this we conclude the prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God—because God has given him a word to speak and urged it be spoken. Listen to the prophet and you hear God speaking!

Today’s gospel passage, which continues the description of Jesus as he begins the first stages of his ministry,
tells of the people’s astonishment as they listen to Jesus speak. St. Mark writes, “The people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” A direct link is made here between authority and prophecy. True authority commands respect because whoever possesses authority is the one who has the real “stuff,” the substantial heart of the matter. When someone plays the violin with authority, they do so not simply because they have the time slot on a stage to perform but because they “have the goods,” the real “stuff” that makes them a violinist. When an actor performs “with authority,” It’s mastery of the art and craft that produces the authority, not simply the contract with the theatre. Jesus speaks with authority because he is the real Word, the divine utterance spoken in the midst of human history.
So it’s no wonder the people were astonished when they heard him. Jesus not only speaks the Word, he is the Word. When we prayed today’s psalm, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts,” there’s direct reference in the prayer to Jesus as the true and the greatest prophet who not only speaks on behalf of God but is God own Self.

Jesus the Word is Jesus the Prophet. Jesus the visionary is the greatest prophet of all for he not only grasps the heart of the matter, he is the heart of the world and all reality. The church is here to continue the prophetic ministry of Jesus. But, Jesus has warned us to beware of false prophets. In our troubled world today we see a proliferation of faith based rhetoric. It is prevalent in politics, entertainment and just about every facet of our lives. There isn’t much you see on TV about world events that is not rooted in or connected to religious beliefs.

Think about it.

What we would expect to bring the world together is tearing it further and further apart. And it’s not just in the Middle East. It’s happening right here in the USA. We have the Christian right and left. The born again fundamentalists. The Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Orthodox and Catholics. All them criticizing the other. All them actively and aggressively trying to influence the political process and government to their own ends. And these are just the Christian elements. Doing what they do in the name of God. How many people are dying in the name of God? How many lives are being ruined in the name of God?
Think about it. Do you really believe this is what God wants? Do you believe God takes sides and helps one team prevail over another at a sporting event? Do your really believe God is helping Tim Tebow at the expense of others? We all think that’s ridiculous. However, I think it’s just as ridiculous to believe God takes sides in any of the conflicts of his children. And we are all his children. Christ’s atonement was for us all.
Not just Christians. Not just Jews or Muslims or Protestants or whatever. None of the troubles of this world are of God’s will. They are of our will and of our doing. Who are we listening to and following? Could they be the false prophets Jesus has warned us about? Are we really loving one another?

Think about it.

Our world is in a whole heap of trouble. It’s up to each one of us to work at getting it fixed. Like sporting teams that are having trouble working together and winning, we have to get back to basics. Each of us has to get back to basics in our lives and our actions. We must get involved and take action to make our community, our state, our country and the world a better place. Think about what’s going on our community and what you can do about it. Think about what Jesus would do and do it!