Prophets and Other Troublemakers

 Prophets are an important part of our Judaeo-Christian heritage. So much so that their works make up a significant part of our scriptures. 16 of the 39 books in the Hebrew scriptures - the Christian Old Testament - are the writings/works of prophets. (The book of Isaiah is the work of three different prophets, so add two more to the list.) The works of Elijah and Elisha, the first two prophets in Hebrew history, take up a major part of 1 & 2 Kings. Prophesy (preaching) is one of the identified gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:28). And then there's that great book at the end of the New Testament which many interpret (falsely) as prophecy about the end of time - Revelation. 

The importance we give to the prophets is seen in their place in worship. In synagogue worship, one of the readings each Sabbath was/is from the prophets. That pattern is frequently followed in liturgical churches that follow the common lectionary. Each set of lectionary readings includes a reading from the prophets, along with a reading from the Psalms, the gospels, and the epistles.

We value the work of the prophets ... at least prophets from the past ... not necessarily modern day prophets. 

Prophets were/are troublemakers. King Ahab called Elijah "you troubler of Israel" (1 Kings 18:17). The priest Amaziah attempted to silence Amos because his prophecies were disturbing to the people. They challenged the king and his policies (Amos 7:10-15). 

Prophets are troublemakers because they challenge the status quo. The disrupt the way things are.

Perhaps that's why we like the prophets of old but attack prophets of our own day. Jesus identified this pattern among the religious leaders of his day: "Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of prophets.' ... Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town" (Matthew 23:29-10, 34). 

Like those of Jesus's day, we glorify the prophets of old but crucify modern day prophets.

We glorify the prophets of old but crucify modern day prophets because they challenge the status quo. They disrupt the way things are. They disturb our way of life. They mess with our comfort zones. They attack our sacred cows. We view them as troublemakers. We condemn them for daring to question what we consider sacred. We punish them for not keeping step with the party line. 

A glaring example of this disregard for modern day prophets is the repeated reaction to the protests going on in our culture. From Colin Kaepernick to the Black Lives Matter to Defund the Police protests, the knee-jerk reaction is predictable: outrage, condemnation, attack, attempts to discredit, resistance to what they are saying and attempting to do, punish. 

Such reactions are our attempts to maintain the status quo, to defend our way of life, to protect what we consider sacred. 

I describe such reactions as knee-jerk reactions. In other words, these reactions are unthinking. The mind is not engaged. We are reacting out of anger that someone would dare challenge the status quo. Our anger masks our fear. We are afraid of losing something we value - our comfort with the status quo. We are afraid of losing our way of life.

Such reactions indicate we are not hearing what the prophets (i.e., protesters) are saying. 

Protests are an attempt to say something that people who enjoy the status quo don't want to hear. They give voice to those who have no voice in the status quo. Protests, by the way, are a vital part of our national heritage - from the Boston Tea party to the marches for women's right to vote to the marches for civil rights to today's protests of police profiling of and brutality against blacks by declaring Black Lives Matter. 

An example of our inability (or unwillingness) to hear is our reaction to pro athletes kneeling during the national anthem. Those of us who enjoy the privileges of the status quo view their kneeling as a disrespect for the flag and for the military. We are outraged and condemn them for daring to be so disrespectful. Our outrage blocks our ability to hear what they are saying: black people do not enjoy the full liberties our flag represents. 

Prophets, protesters, and other troublemaker are saying something we don't want to hear. They are saying the status quo doesn't work for them. They are saying the privileges we enjoy from the status quo are denied to them. In a nation whose founding document says "all men are created equal," they are saying they are not being treated as equals.   

We struggle to hear what these prophets and protesters are saying because their experience is not ours. We enjoy the privileges of the status quo. We struggle to understand that they don't enjoy the same privileges. We struggle to hear what these prophets and protesters are saying because they are calling for change. If we hear and acknowledge the truth of what they say, we have to change and how we function has to change and our nation has to change. If we hear and acknowledge the truth of what they say, we have to surrender the status we have enjoyed as white people in a culture structured for the benefit of white people at the expense of people of color because it is dominated by white people. 

No wonder we don't like modern day prophets. 

An ironic aspect of our reaction to these modern day prophets and troublemakers is they are saying exactly the same thing the prophets of old said - the ones we glorify - just using different words. The prophets of old called for economic equity, condemning the affluence of a few at the expense of the many (Amos 4:1). The prophets of old called for justice, power used on behalf of the powerless and marginalized people (Isaiah 1:17). The prophets of old called for righteousness that took care of all (Isaiah 1:10-17). 

Perhaps the reason we struggle to hear, much less accept, the word of these modern day prophets is because the prophetic word is no longer valued in our churches today. We want to hear what we already believe, not truth that challenges our beliefs. We want to hear messages that entertain and comfort, not truth that disturbs and disrupts. We don't want to hear words that confront, challenge, or call for change. Could it be our worship has become just another expression of the status quo we enjoy rather than a place to hear God's call to be an agent for change in the world? 

Jesus - the one we call Lord and profess to follow - taught us to pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." For the kingdom to come on earth, we need prophets and other troublemakers who speak a word from God ... even if the word is one we don't want to hear. 

Merciful God, may we be willing to hear and heed the words of your prophets ... in whatever trouble-making form they come to us!