4th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19
1 Corinthians 13:4-13
Luke 4:21-30

 

"Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted
in his own native place..."

 

 

In the gospel of the previous Sunday, we saw that Christ’s anointment was more of being a prophet than of being a king. Today’s gospel is a continuation of last Sunday's. We can outline our reflections into three main points: first, the meaning of prophethood in general; second, the prophethood of Christ in particular; third, our prophetic ministry as sharing in the prophethood of Christ.

 

1. What is a prophet? A prophet is a man called by God to speak for him about his message. At the outset, two very important aspects are clear: one, a prophet is a man of God, two, a prophet is a spokesman of God's message.

 

a. A prophet is man of God because he is called by God. The Hebrew nabi, the usual word for prophet, is translated by many scholars as to mean “to call" or "one called.” This sacred comes not so much because of any worthiness of the one being called as it is because of the choice of the one calling. Since it is a matter of God's choice, a prophet is then said to be elected by God. God calls and elects someone to be his prophet irrespective of the latter’s qualities. This is just the case of Jeremiah who is most likely a shy and a withdrawn person, aside from being young and having no ability to speak in public (cf Jer 1:6). Despite everything, God calls him still and appoints him as prophet to the nations (cf Jer 1:5). And God does this simply because He wants it so.

 

A prophet is a man of God because he is consecrated by God. As we are told in the first reading, the consecration of Jeremiah happens even before he is born, and becomes ceremonial later on at his calling as a young man (cf Jer 1:9). This consecration even before birth happens not only to Jeremiah but also to the prophet John the Baptist who is “filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (cf Lk 1:15). This makes the Baptist the biblical antitype of Jeremiah. And John is just that great a prophet, too. Being consecrated, therefore, a prophet is endowed with the spirit of God and thus becomes a man of the Holy Spirit.

 

b. Being man of God - called and consecrated - a prophet is a spokesman of God’s message: He is God's mouthpiece, so to speak. God speaks through him. He is sent as God's envoy, as God's messenger. The message he carries is not his own but God's. This is why a prophet is expected to speak only of God's message, nothing more and nothing less. Whether or not the message is pleasing to the ear, whether or not it is difficult to accept, and even whether he himself likes it or not, a prophet is bound to speak about it. He has to announce it. This is his mission. This is his vocation. This is what his being a prophet is all for.

 

2. Christ is a prophet. And he is not only a prophet, but also the Prophet. Like any prophet, Christ is called and elected. But unlike the others, Christ is elected because he is God's own son. This makes the difference. This makes him the greatest prophet. This is what we mean when we refer to him as the prophet. Called and elected, Christ is also consecrated. But again, his consecration is most profound and most sacred. Not only is he endowed and filled with the Spirit in his mother's womb (and in his whole life), but more so is he conceived by the Holy Spirit (cf Lk 1:15). Meaning, he becomes incarnate because of the Holy Spirit. Again, it is a fulfillment of scripture because he in fact is the Emmanuel whom Isaiah talks about as to be conceived and born of a virgin (cf Is 7:14). Because of this, Christ has all the reasons to be accepted by Nazareth. His own people are even supposed to be proud of him. But his experience proves otherwise. They reject him and even intend to kill him. This makes the poor carpenter's son so downhearted as to sigh: “…no prophet is accepted in his own native place…”

 

We can postulate some answers as to why his own people do not accept him. One reason is perhaps because they so feel bad to learn that Jesus starts his ministry not in his own town Nazareth, but in Capernaum. This is possible but hardly probable. Another reason maybe, is their envy (and perhaps pride also) that someone so ordinary as they as they are – and perhaps even much lesser than they are - speaks so intelligently and performs wonders beyond their expectations. This is both possible and probable. Thus, they ask: “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” We may therefore, take this as a valid reason why they reject him. But to reject him to the extent of intending to kill him in public, certainly requires a reason much graver than mere envy and pride. We need a third proposition.

 

Looking closely at it, we discover an irony that happens here. The reason why his own people ought to accept him and be proud of him is precisely the very reason why they reject and hate him. They cannot accept that Jesus is the prophet, that he is the promised messiah, that he is the Son of God. "Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” How can he be the Son of God? Too difficult. Too heavy. Too blasphemous! They can take Christ feeding some five thousand men out of a few fish and bread. They are satisfied, anyway. They can take him healing the sick. They are cured, after all. But to listen to that most sublime truth, which is in fact the core of his message is a thing they can never stomach. It is even something to abhor.

 

If Christ could only do away with it…If he could only compromise for it…But that is the truth. That is his message. As a prophet, he has to announce it, he has to stand for it. And we just all know how he becomes faithful to this calling. We also know how it pays for him to speak of it till the end.

 

3. By baptism, we share Christ's three-fold office as priest, prophet and king. If a prophet is indeed called, chosen and consecrated, it is a happy thing that at least our common prophethood in baptism makes us part of God's holy nation, a chosen race, a royal priesthood (cf 1Pt 2:9). Such is God's grace and gift. But the exercise and practice of such prophetic office follows just exactly Christ's prophetic ministry – a thing, which most often causes us to worry. In many instances, we fall short of being a prophet even in our own small way. This is because truth hurts. Thus, we choose to be mute and blind. We choose to hide the truth because we find the truth hurting; not realizing that by doing so, we are hurting the truth. At the end of the day, we are sadder than we think we are. We know by heart that we are imprisoned by our own fears. Until we speak of the truth and stand-by it, as a prophet should, we can never be free. Indeed, only the truth can set us free (cf Jn 8:32).