Why Prophetic Teachers Are Not Usually Accepted

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

February 3, 2013

The Sacred Scripture tells us that during the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father sounded from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” Now after this event, Jesus returned to his hometown and to his people where he was greatly received with amazement. The Gospel of Luke 4:22 says “All spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”  But shortly after this great and happy reception, everything changed. The same people who welcomed Jesus happily turned against him. What happened?

The people of Nazareth, the Lord’s own people believed in a God they had made in their own image and likeness. They believed in a God that simply existed for them alone. Their belief was “if God is for us, then he must be against them.” They believed in a God whose blessings were limited to them alone. But Jesus ruined their belief by telling them that such a God does not exist. The true God is the Father of everyone; he is available to all persons who approach him with faith and trust. Jesus ruined their belief by telling them the truth about God, that God has no favorites,  that he relates to all humankind by the same standards. On hearing that, the same people who spoke highly of Jesus turned against him in disappointment and eventually drove him out of town.

But Jesus was not taken my surprise. He expected the people's reaction and disappointment because he understood his ministry was a prophetic one. In biblical term, a prophet is not simply someone who foretells and predicts the future. A prophet is someone who speaks for God. A prophet is God’s own spokesperson. A prophet is a mouthpiece of God. And a prophet’s usual opening phrase is, Thus says the Lord....” A prophet’s chief concern is speaking the undiluted word of God. He does not drink processed water nor does he feed God’s people with a watered down gospel. He proclaims the truth of the gospel as he received it. He is not so much interested in whether the word he proclaims is happily received by the people. Prophets tell the bitter truth and this is what gets them into trouble. Jesus told his people the truth about God and that got him into trouble. He told them the truth of the universality of God’s blessing, favor, and salvation. To illustrate his points Jesus simply reminded them of Old Testament events:

Do not forget that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. Again do not forget that there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:25-27). These words got Jesus into trouble!

The Nazarenes refused to accept the truth of the universality of God and his blessings because it went against their long-held beliefs which made them feel good about themselves.

Beloved in Christ, there are two kinds of teachers/priests/preachers:  prophetic teachers/priests and populist teachers/priests. The primary concern of prophetic teachers is to please God and to speak the truth of God even when this would cost them their popularity and favorability. But populist teachers seek above all to please the people, to tell them what they would love to hear. A populist teacher tells a sinner “Your sins are not that bad.” But a prophetic teacher tells a sinner, “You need to repent from your sin because sin hurts you and your relationship with God.” Jesus was not a populist teacher. He was a prophetic teacher. Today, regrettably many Christians prefer a populist teacher/priest who will tell them only what is pleasing to their ears, but which may not be the truth of the Gospel. But the preacher who tells them the truth, the truth of their lives is often times hated and ignored. He is not considered a good man. But I am not surprised after all the Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:3 “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”

Today I urge you dearest beloved, ignore the preacher who feeds you with a watered down gospel. It’s not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.