Sunday Reflections
4th Sunday year B
Jesus is the Ultimate Prophe
1.✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus and his disciples went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.
In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
2. Today’s readings offer us opportunity to reflect on Prophets and prophecies. In the first reading, God, speaking through Moses promised the Israelites that he will give them a prophet like Moses, who will teach God’s ways to the people and will demand obedience to his teachings. He equally warned them to be careful with false prophets (Deut18:15-20). We know the role that Moses played in the history of the chosen people. He was their spokesman before Pharoh. He fought Pharoh and his cohorts and delivered the people from bondage. He led them through the desert as their leader and warrior. He gave them the Ten Commandments. He showed God’s way to them and pleaded before God on their behalf. He judged their cases. So, the promised prophet should correspond as much as possible to the profile of Moses.
3. The entire gospel identified Jesus as the new Moses. He proved this through his teachings and deeds. He taught the way of God, spoke against oppressors and stood for the oppressed. He cured diseases and delivered from sin and death. He gave the new law in his sermon on the mount. Today’s gospel shows Jesus teaching with authority and casting out demon with the demon declaring him as the Holy One of God. Thus, Jesus is rightly the fulfillment of the prophecy of Moses about a new prophet.
4. With Moses and Jesus, we have a clear idea of whom a prophet should be. He is one whom God uses for his work of liberating people and leading them to promised land where God is king. God can use anyone to do his work. If read the call of prophets we shall notice that most of them considered themselves unfit for the mission: Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos etc. A prophet is useful when he relies on God but dangerous when he becomes independent minded. In such state he can give false messages in the name of God. Prophets, as we know, are human beings, prone to pride and error. It will therefore be wrong to order one’s life according to prophetic messages without first of all submitting the messages to discernment (1Jn4:1). When David told his Prophet Nathan of his intention to build a temple for God, Nathan responded:”Do as it seems fit for you, for God is with you” (2Sam7:3). But that was a wrong message. God has to intervene to correct him. Supposing David relied on the first response from Nathan, he would have done something that is against the will of God. This episode raises a vital question: how does one discern a false prophetic message from a true one?
5. Today’s gospel gives us an insight. It presents Jesus as the one who teaches with authority. He is the ultimate prophet as we read in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 to 3. This means that any message that contradicts any teaching of Christ must be rejected no matter how highly placed the messenger may pretend to be. Today many Christians attach themselves to one man of God or priest and order their lives according to his messages. Such is not too bad provided that the messages agree with the teaching of Christ in the gospels. To this criterion of discernment must be added another one taken from the first reading of today, namely that any prophetic message that did not come true is not from God. In the past we have heard of prophets in Nigeria who see only disaster and death and go to any extent, even to hiring criminals to make their prophecy come true. Jesus already warned his disciples that prophets are to be recognized by their way of life (Mt17:15-16). A good tree cannot produce a bad fruit, a worldly man cannot be godly at the same time. When tempted to accept a message, first of all, observe the lifestyle of the messenger. Jesus spoke of wolves in sheep clothing.
6. Jesus is the Ultimate Prophet who died that his subjects would live. You may like receiving messages from men of God. Do not forget that your salvation is not in anyone’s hand and that you are answerable to God for all your decisions. While it is good to listen to those who may know God better than you, always remember the three criteria for judging a prophetic message: is the message in accord with the teachings and deeds of Christ? Is the messenger’s lifestyle Christlike? Did the prophecy come true?
