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Short-term Prophets

Lay Leader Len Docimo


LET US PRAY: Dear Lord, let me find the words to make my Sermon meaningful and let the “ones who are able to understand” take the Sermon home with them. Amen.


My Mother the Jewish Prophet


My mother, Sylvia, had the Jewish gift of Prophecy. I think she had this gift even after she converted to Catholicism. I only know she had it when I was growing up. Granted, she could only see a little ways in the future – the here and now – only less than an hour or so. She was a short-term Jewish Prophet.


My parents, whose anniversary is today, had three boys with about 4-1/2 years between us. I am the middle son. Here’s how her gift manifested itself:


If one of us had strayed far from the straight-and-narrow, she would walk into the kitchen, reach to the bottom drawer and there was her Prophecy tool: an old Army belt of my Dad’s – looked something like this one, only heavier. There was a rumor she had broken the buckle on my older brother. And we were gone!


She had gotten so good at Prophesying that all she had to do was walk into the kitchen, and it didn’t matter why she went there, and we would scatter to our rooms.


My mother was a very good short-term Jewish Prophet.


Nehemiah 8:1-10


Kelly read us our first Lesson, which tells the story of Ezra, a teacher of the Law. Unlike my mother, who prophesied an upcoming beating to one of her sons, Ezra was going to read from the Book of Law of Moses and, unlike us boys, he was going to read to “men and women and those who were able to understand.”


I have to digress a little bit, because of the elephant in the room -: his audience:

Men – the primary audience in the Synagogues and meeting places

Women – filling up the meeting house nooks and crannies

Those who were able to understand – Uh?


My son suggested that Eunuchs made up the 3rd group as they were classified as neither Male nor Female, so they would be the people “who were able to understand,” but, alas, there weren’t any Eunuchs among the Israelites.


It turns out that young people, both male and female, like Kenny, Chase and Riley, who were mature enough to understand what was being said, were also included in his audience. It was a nice touch to include young teen-agers. He is not really reading the Torah. He is reading an updated version of Deuteronomy. Ezra is not really prophesying in the usual sense of the word. He, too, is prophesying the here-and-now, like my mother; so he too is a short-term Jewish Prophet.


He is telling the listeners what they are doing that pleases the Lord. If they mess up; if they stray, his prophecy will be real short-term, like my mother’s. It will be how to get back in the Lord’s good graces. Any longer than that and they will be lost.


The people need it to be read to them: men, women and those who are able to understand – so that they remember! Because the people of Israel need to be constantly reminded of what they need to do to please the Lord. Or else they will forget – again.


Luke 4:14-21


There is a song in the musical “The Chorus Line” that tells of a young man having to watch his sister’s dance lessons. He watches her fox trot moves and says, in a stage whisper: I can do that.


He watches her tangoes and he says, in a stage whisper, I can do that. He watches her get ready for a Dance Recital and says, in a stage whisper, I can do that!


Jesus of Nazareth - an Apocalyptic prophet.


Jesus of Nazareth was an Apocalyptic prophet which, by its very definition, makes him a short-term prophet – like my mother.


After he was tested by the Devil for 40 days in the wilderness, He was raring to go. Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, has chosen Nazareth to start His ministry of teaching and healing.


It says he went to their Synagogue, but, to be honest, Nazareth probably didn’t have a

Synagogue. It was a small village on a small, steep crest of a hill or mountain. It was probably just a place set aside for worship.


He asks for the scroll of Isaiah. And he begins to read:


The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

Whoa! He begins by telling them He is ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit - not oil like a King of old. And He is bringing the Good News to the poor.


He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind. Obviously, he is talking about the improperly incarcerated prisoners and He couples that with giving sight to the blind.


To set the oppressed free, He is making a distinction between prisoners and the oppressed or is He simply saying there won’t be anyone who is mistreated.


To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Here is Jesus, speaking with the power of the Holy Spirit, saying He will bring in the year of The Lord’s favor – God’s favor.


And then He handed the scroll back to the attendant and He sat down. All eyes were looking at Him. The Apostles were looking at Him. You and I, if we were there, would be looking at Him.


What would he say about what He had just read. What would you and I be thinking?

“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”


He IS saying He will be the Messiah, just not the warrior-type they were expecting. And He IS saying I will be the one to teach the people how to prepare to be on God’s “nice list.”


Sermon – Short-term Prophets


Epilogue:

But my Jesus says there were two things missing from the Isaiah scroll: First – He will also forgive the sins of the repentant, and second, unlike the other magicians, healers and messianic claimants before and after Him, He will be doing all these things for Free!


So, let’s go back. All eyes were looking at Him. Even the ones who knew Him growing up. All the Apostles were looking at Him. If we were there, you and I would be looking at Him.


My Jesus looked around the crowd, at the faces looking and longing for His words. He stood up. He smiled and He said: “I can do all of that!”

AMEN

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