The Plight of a Prophet

"Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.' Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief." Mark 6:1-6

As Jesus was in the midst of an incredibly expanding and wildly popular public ministry, the Gospel of Mark reveals to us a sad and sobering event. Jesus decided to visit His hometown of Nazareth, where He was given the privilege of teaching in the local synagogue on the Sabbath. At first, the listeners were amazed and mesmerized at the wisdom and authority of His words. But others were not so impressed. They began to question His lack of education, as well as His family pedigree. Slowly but surely the attitudes of the congregation began to change. No longer were they astonished at what they heard, now they were offended by what they heard. The passage concludes by telling us that Jesus healed a few sick people (He could have healed them all) and that He marveled because of their unbelief. But in the midst of this testimony, look carefully at what Christ said: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Interesting, is it not?

The word prophet, or a derivation of that word, appears 470 times in the New King James Version of the Bible. Most of the time we think of the classic definition for prophet: one who foretells future events. This is certainly valid, as many of God's prophets in the scriptures were used to reveal upcoming events. A clear example would be Elijah declaring with boldness that there would be no rain for an extended period of time as found in 1 Kings 17. Or the powerful prophecy of Isaiah foretelling the sufferings of Christ concerning His humiliation and death as found in Isaiah 53. Yet the most accurate understanding for a prophet in the context of Mark 6, and even today, would be one who is chosen and called by God to be His spokesman, delivering His messages, warnings, and guidance to a particular people.

Now I realize that some people believe that the ministry of the prophet is no longer valid in the days in which we live. I beg to differ with this opinion, however. The Bible says in Ephesians 4, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." There is no biblical evidence given that any of these distinguishable ministry assignments has ever been declared null and void. I understand that the classic definition for apostle is one who has personally seen the resurrected Lord. If this is true, then we certainly can agree that the office of apostle was closed with the death of John on the Isle of Patmos. If, however, I agree with some missiologists that the office of apostle now includes those who will go to an unreached and unengaged people group with the gospel of Christ in order to plant churches and make disciples, then that spiritual gift and church office is still a prominent one today. But my focus is not on apostleship, but rather the vital ministry of the prophet. And Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."

Over the years I have studied the lives of some of God's greatest spokesmen. Many of these were gifted men who spoke with the divine unction and boldness of a prophet. Yet so very often these men were despised and rejected. Both in the biblical narrative and throughout church history, God has sent prophets among His people. And to put it quite simply, their messages were met with anger, resentment, and at times, violence. The aforementioned prophet Isaiah is one example. In Isaiah 6 we find the great experience of worship that this man encountered following the death of King Uzziah. God gave him the privilege of encountering a vision of His glory, causing Isaiah to confess his sin, receive personal cleansing, and answer the call to serve by declaring: "Here am I, send me!" If you would carefully read the remainder of that chapter, you discover a chilling assignment. God would gift this man to become a mighty prophet, but the people would refuse to hear and heed his message. When Isaiah asked how long he would have to preach to a hard-hearted people who refused to repent, God said, "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitants, the houses are without a man, and the land is utterly desolate." Not a very lucrative assignment, wouldn't you agree? Oh yes, God said that a remnant would be spared, but the vast majority of His people would be judged. Isaiah understood the plight of a prophet.

Another example would be Jeremiah. In chapter one of the book that bears his name, we find incredible truth about this man's calling and empowering. God said: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations...you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you." Yet like Isaiah, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah that his assignment would be a difficult one and his message would be despised. God said: "They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, to deliver you." For those today who like to judge ministerial success, Jeremiah would have been an absolute failure. Why would I say this? Because he was eventually arrested and thrown into prison. The plight of a prophet.

A final Old Testament example is Ezekiel. In chapters two and three we discover the call of God upon Ezekial to be a faithful watchman on the wall, sounding forth the warnings of impending judgement. Yet God revealed this truth to His servant: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them." Ezekiel was eventually carried away into Babylonian captivity. Even this great man could not escape the judgement of God against a backslidden and hateful people. Again, the plight of a prophet.

If you have seriously studied the word of God, the most well-known of God's prophets would be the forerunner of Christ: John the Baptist. When I preach a message on this man's life, I focus upon:

• His Miraculous Birth (Luke 1:5-80)
• His Powerful Ministry (Matthew 3:1-12)
• His Agonizing Imprisonment (Mark 6:14-20)
• His Gruesome Death (Mark 6:21-29)
• His Enduring Legacy (Matthew 11:1-11)

John the Baptist had an explosive ministry that probably lasted only twelve to eighteen months. Multitudes went out to the wilderness area to hear him. Many of these listeners repented of their sin and displayed the sincerity of their decisions by submitting to baptism. Others came to identify with this impressive movement, but John clearly saw their hypocrisy and rebuked them with strong words of condemnation. As he pointed his followers to Christ, he was eventually imprisoned for his unwillingness to tone down his biblical beliefs concerning the sacredness of marriage. Separated from those who loved him dearly, he was eventually beheaded to appease the hateful spite of a deranged woman. The plight of a prophet. Yet Jesus said about John the Baptist, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." Think about it, the Son of God said that of all the billions upon billions who have been born of women, NO ONE IS GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST! That, my friend, is the ultimate compliment.

It has been said: "The more things change; the more things remain the same." Our world today is very much like the world of yesterday. Carnal men and women in the Old and New Testaments did not want to be confronted with authoritative messages from a God ordained prophet who uncovered their sin and warned them of judgement to come. And still today, carnal men and women do not want to be disturbed by a thundering voice of righteousness. As one friend of mine said, "The sleepy, lethargic church of America doesn't want to be awakened. When a modern-day prophet of God dares to lift up his voice like a trumpet and sound the alarm, most members roll over trying to hit the snooze button saying, 'Leave me alone, just leave me alone!'"

In closing, let me use the words of the great Leonard Ravenhill: "There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness. The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed, too negative and too unsociable. Let him be as plain as John the Baptist. Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern theology and stagnant "churchianity." Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle. Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do." Let him reject ecclesiastical favors. Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that which will move men to God. Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day. God, send us PROPHETS!" The prophet is God’s detective seeking for lost spiritual treasures. The degree of his effectiveness is determined by the measure of his unpopularity. Compromise is not known to him. He has no price tags. He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile. He marches to the beat of another drummer. In the day in which we live, there is not a more urgent national need than that we cry unto God for a prophet. Let him preach with a voice this century has not heard, because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us fiery men of holy boldness that will lead us from this wilderness of crass materialism and entertainment-based worship, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where spiritually blind pastors lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon. GOD, HAVE MERCY, SEND US PROPHETS!"

I have learned from personal experience that the sleepy, ungodly church in America today despises those who possess the spiritual gift and powerful ministry of the prophet. Yet even when faced with anger, rejection, and hatred, I find solace in the words of Christ...

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."

Luke 6:22-23