ordinary time The Sánchez Archives

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Year C

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

Prophets and Politicians

JEREMIAH 1:4-5, 17-19
1 CORINTHIANS 12:31-13:13
LUKE 4:21-30

Someone once quipped that the reason contemporary society finds itself muddled in confusion and mired with difficulties is because it has chosen to listen to its politicians rather than to its prophets. A politician is an elected official whose success is largely dependent upon his/her ability to say what people want to hear. A prophet’s success on the other hand is usually measured by his/her willingness to risk saying what people need to hear. Whereas politicians curry favor by assuaging the majority’s wishes, and by gauging popular opinion, prophets rub raw the sensibilities of their listeners and irritate their consciences with the truth.

This week, the gathered assembly is invited to examine its individual and collective consciences as regards its preferences for politicians? or for prophets? In both the first reading and the gospel, Jeremiah and Jesus are presented as prophets (from the Greek word prophetes which means mouthpiece), chosen, consecrated and sent to their brothers and sisters as emissaries of the Word of God. Each challenged their contemporaries to look at themselves, their societies, their values and their priorities in light of the message of God’s truth. Each challenged their listeners to recover their unique identities as people loved and covenanted to God and to retrieve the faith, traditions they had abandoned. Among Jeremiah’s contemporaries, the sacred traditions had become diluted by dalliances into paganism and idolatry; those of Jesus were in danger of submerging the rich heritage of their faith in a sea of legalism.

As Walter Brueggemann (The Prophetic Imagination, Fortress Press, Minneapolis: 1975) has explained, it was the task of Jeremiah and Jesus, and it remains the task of all in the prophetic ministry to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception which is alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture in which believers find themselves. The key word in this job description of the prophet is alternative. The alternative consciousness and perception which the prophet evokes is not rooted in social theory or in righteous indignation or in altruism but in the genuine alternative that Yahweh is. In other words, prophets are not simply investigative reporters who root out social inequities and injustices and castigate their perpetrators. Rather, prophets arouse within their listeners an alternative consciousness which in turn perceives understands, appreciates and evaluates reality according to the will, word and wisdom of God.

When this alternative consciousness becomes the guiding dynamic of the life of the believer, then social evils, etc. are exposed for what they are, not simply an affront to human beings but a contradiction of the truth and goodness which are the essence of God! As Brueggemann further noted, “the prophet offers an alternative perception of reality that allows people to see their own history in the light of God’s freedom and will for justice.”

Too frequently, however, the prophet perceptions and words fall on deaf ears, or worse, are refused and hurled back at him/her like unwanted refuse. As Luke has indicated in today’s gospel, Jesus’ prophetic ministry received mixed reviews in his hometown of Nazareth. Some were impressed while others expressed indignation when Jesus attempted to raise within his contemporaries the consciousness that salvation is a universal gift extended to all, especially sinners, by God. So conflicted were his listeners’ perceptions that they were reluctant to recognize and accept the word of someone as familiar to them as “Joseph’s son.” Aware that Jeremiah would also face opposition, God promised that the prophet would be fortified with the very presence of God so as to be able to withstand every conceivable obstacle.

In the second reading, Paul sharers with his readers the promise that an alternative to the ever present realities of sin and evil becomes possible if believers learn to love another with an authentic, Christ-inspired love. In light of Paul’s call to love, contemporary believers are invited today, to decide whether to listen to the politician and to accept an often skewed, or at best partisan view of reality, or to heed the prophets among us. Their words may chide, their message may shock, their delivery may not always be pleasant or timely, but the prophets will put us in touch with the only viable alternative we have with which to face suffering, evil, injustice, destruction and death, viz., with the alternative who is God.

JEREMIAH 1:4-5, 17-19

When couples are awaiting a soon-to-be-born child, they regale one another with their hopes for his/her future. Perhaps he’ll be a doctor or a lawyer. . . Maybe she’ll be an astronaut or physicist. Maybe he’ll discover the cure for A.I.D.S. Maybe she’ll become president. This pre-natal musing is intensified when the child begins to grow and his/her unique gifts and talents become more discernible. In the midst of all these musings, however, few of us would probably see a prophetic ministry in our child’s future; the reasons for this are two-fold. Many in contemporary society regard the work of the prophet as an effort which was confined, for the most part, to biblical times. Others would simply forego such an unappealing and difficult role in favor of a field wherein happiness and success seemed more certain. However, as today’s first reading indicates, the prophetic ministry is not a personal career choice; it is a response to the prior initiative and call of God.

With three specific verbs, “I formed you, I knew you, I dedicated you” (v. 5), the prophet affirmed his appointment to the ministry as one which originated in God. Yasar or to form referred to the work of a potter, sculpting and molding the clay. The same verb was used in the earlier of the two creation accounts (Yahwist source: Genesis 2:7-8) wherein humankind was portrayed as being sculpted or created by God out of the clay of the earth. Yàda, from the verb to know, signified the intimate relationship to which God called Jeremiah even in the womb. Qadash or dedicated underscored the fact that Jeremiah was set apart, made holy or consecrated by God for his special work among the people.

Called to the prophetic ministry “in the days of Josiah”, Jeremiah struggled to keep his contemporaries in touch with God’s words and will for a forty year period during the latter quarter of the seventh and the first part of the sixth century B.C.E. (ca 627-587 B.C.E.). A time of grave political crises and spiritual turmoil, Jeremiah’s mettle was frequently tested. Nevertheless, he was able to withstand countless trials and grave suffering because the God who had formed, known and dedicated him had also equipped him for his mission. “I am with you to deliver you” (v. 19) was the promise of divine presence, protection, guidance and support. This same promise gave courage and strength to Abraham (Genesis 17:7), Isaac (Genesis 26:24), Jacob (Genesis 28:14), Moses (Exodus 3:11-14), Joshua (Joshua 1:5), the judges (Judges 6:15), the kings (2 Samuel 7:9; 2 Kings 18:7), and to all others whom God had called to service. It was this promise which Jesus left with his own upon his return to glory (Matthew 28:20).

Bolstered by the strength afforded him by God’s presence, Jeremiah became a force to be reckoned with. Like a fortified city, surrounded by pillars of iron and a wall of brass (v. 18), Jeremiah was able to withstand kings and princes, priests and people for the sake of the truth with which he had been entrusted. His voice was not silenced, even by death; his words continue to challenge believers to hear and keep and live in accord with the word of God. A type of Jesus Christ, whose prophetic and saving mission is featured in today’s gospel, Jeremiah should also be recognized as an exemplar to be emulated by every believing disciple. Like Jeremiah and Jesus, each of us is formed, known and dedicated by God. It is ours to choose whether our ministry will take the lesser path of the politician or the greater challenge of the authentic prophet.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:31-13:13

Therapist and author Robert A. Johnson (We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love, Harper Collins Pub. Inc., New York: 1983) once described the ineffable experience of love as “stirring-the-oatmeal.” “Stirring-the-oatmeal” is authentic love in that it is a humble act, not exciting or thrilling. It represents a down-to-earth willingness to share the ordinary things, to find meaning in simple tasks like earning a living, living within a budget, putting out the garbage, feeding the baby in the middle of the night. To “stir the oatmeal” means to find relatedness, value and beauty in the routine expressions of loving and giving. Stirring-the-oatmeal avoids the dramatic and the ostentatious in favor of the ordinary and even the banal. Like the rice hulling of the Zen monks, the spinning wheel of Gandhi and the tent making of Paul, stirring-the-oatmeal means giving love practical expression by affording those we love a tangible experience of our sincerity. Although Paul’s portrait of love, as enunciated in today’s second reading, is so beautifully poetic as to cause our thoughts to soar high with idealism, his challenge is nonetheless as real and palpable as the oatmeal on the stove.

Paul’s exhortation to love should be understood as part of the apostle’s appeal to the Corinthians (and to all believers) to live together in a harmonious union wherein the different gifts of each person are valued and respected (1 Corinthians 12-14). Paul inventoried the gifts of the Spirit and underscored the priority which love enjoys over and above all other gifts (vv. 1-3). No gift, however remarkable (e.g. tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, generosity to the poor, etc.) should be exercised unless it originates in and is motivated by love.

In verses 4-7, Paul gave form and character to love by describing it in personification. Notice that Paul does not say, the loving Christian does things patiently or kindly; rather, the says “love is. . .”, “love does. . .”, “love does not. . .” Paul would have his readers understand that by embodying love in their words and works, Christians learn to know God, albeit if only imperfectly in this life (13:9). But, unlike all the other gifts, love has a perduring quality which survives the grave and leads to full knowledge of God. . . “then I shall know even as I am known” (13:12).

By calling for an exercise of the virtues of patience, kindness, forbearance, trust and endurance, all of which are motivated by, and are an expression of love, Paul was probably referencing some of the difficulties which plagued the Corinthian church, e.g., (1) intolerance and impatience (8:1-13); (2) jealousy and rivalry (1:10-17); (3) rudeness and a lack of consideration of others (11:17-22); (4) refusal to deal with immorality and scandal (5:1-6), etc.

Because these sins and shortcomings continue to erode the shared union of believers, contemporary readers of Paul are challenged by him to accept and appropriate love as the highest and greatest of all God’s gifts and to allow this gift to inspire and inform every thought, word and action whether it be singing God’s praise or simply stirring-the-oatmeal.

LUKE 4:21-30

If there had been “spin doctors” in Jesus’ day, and if he would have wanted to recruit their services, they would, no doubt, have helped Jesus to present himself to the crowds in the most favorable light. Rather than confront his hometown audience with the facts of their own provincialism, Jesus’ spin doctors would have advised that he “schmooze” with the neighbors in order to gain acceptance among them. But this was not the way Jesus conducted himself or his ministry. Always true to his purpose, Jesus continually challenged his listeners to open their hearts and minds to the surprising manner in which God proposed to save humanity and to the fact that God’s salvific plan is universal in scope. As Luke Timothy Johnson (The Gospel of Luke, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville: 1991) explains, the wrath of Jesus’ neighbors was aroused and their mood turned ugly (compare v. 22 to v. 28) when they realized his intention to extend the parameters of his mission beyond his own country. God’s concern and saving mercies were to be extended to all -- even to widows in Zarephath and to lepers in Syria.

Today’s gospel pericope is better understood in conjunction with that of last Sunday (Luke 4:1-4, 14-21), the second half of which portrayed Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth. Joseph’s son had come home to visit and used the occasion to deliver his inaugural address. Having read excerpts from the scroll of Isaiah (61:1ff; 58:7ff) Jesus then declared that Isaiah’s promises of healing, freedom, good news for the poor, and a year of favor were being fulfilled in the midst of his listeners; in Jesus’ words and through his works, the ancient prophecy was being realized. As Carroll Stuhlmueller (“The Gospel According to Luke”, The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs: 1968) pointed out, Luke used the verb peplerotai or, “is fulfilled” (v. 21), in the perfect tense, thereby signifying that the process of salvation which was begun in the person of Jesus, is still ongoing.

At the time Luke’s gospel appeared in written form in the 80s C.E., the effects of Jesus’ abiding and saving presence were being mediated through the church. And just as Jesus’ efforts were, at times thwarted by a lack of acceptance (v. 24), so also was the ministry of the church frequently criticized and rejected when it embraced the divine criterion of universalism rather than the petty human penchant for exclusivism.

From the outset of Jesus’ ministry, rejection and failure seemed to figure more prominently than acceptance and success; nevertheless, nothing deterred him, nothing could squelch the ministry he had outlined that day in Nazareth.

Jesus’ determination to fulfilling his saving mission was poignantly dramatized as he moved straight through the midst of the crowd and went on with his work (v. 30). Perhaps Luke wished his readers to realize that yet another Isaian prophecy was being fulfilled in their presence. Recall Deutero-Isaiah’s description of the mission of God’s saving word: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, spoken into human existence, would not return to God without accomplishing the will of God and achieving the end for which he had been sent, viz., the salvation of all people.

That day in Nazareth, the people did not witness a politician, pressing the flesh, currying favor and spouting a partisan message; that day, a prophet came to Nazareth with healing in his hands, mercy in his heart, and salvation for all in his words. Today, that same healing, mercy and salvation should be available to all through the church.

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