4th Wednesday in Lent

March 6, 2013

Christ, the Prophet

Luke 22:54-71

Grace, Mercy and Peace are yours from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke 22:63-65

    Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. [64] They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" [65] And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

            Tonight’s reading includes an ironic reference to our next title for Jesus. He is truly Christ, the Prophet, even though the mob who arrested Him, mocked Him so.

Jesus is the Christ. God had promised over and over again that He would send the Christ, the Messiah to save His people. Christ means the anointed one. Certain people in Bible times were anointed to do a certain task. Oil was poured on their heads to mark them as one set apart to carry out their special office. Particularly prophets, priests and kings were anointed for their task.

In tonight’s reading from the passion and the readings on the next two Wednesdays we will hear how Christ is Prophet, Priest and King.

As God had promised, He sent His Son into the world to be the Prophet, that is to speak, to proclaim, to preach the message that God has for our human race. Problem is, people don’t listen.

    The Jewish ruling council who interrogated Jesus, said,  "If you are the Christ, tell us."

What Jesus answered was very true. He said, "If I tell you, you will not believe.”

These were the people we hear about in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel chapter 2:

    The Lord said to Ezekiel, [3] "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. [4] The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' [5] And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Jesus is Christ, the Prophet. But they don’t listen to Him. Even today, they mock Him and refuse to listen to Him.

He is the Prophet and He says I am coming again to judge the living and the dead. But they don’t listen to Him, those who just go on about life without a care, saying to themselves, let’s eat, drink and be merry!

He is the Prophet, and He says I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. But they don’t listen to Him, those who believe that it doesn’t really matter which god you believe in or what path you follow, they all lead to God.

He is the Prophet and He says to you, repent of your sins and believe in my forgiveness. But you! You don’t listen to Him if you shrug off his words and think, “Ach! My sins aren’t that bad, I don’t need to worry about it.

He is the Prophet. Listen to Him. Believe what He says.

The organ for believing is the ear. Listen to Jesus and believe!

It’s a mistake to think that believing has to do with the eye. Many will miss out on a lot of good things in this life and in the life to come because they refuse to believe and say, I’ll believe it when I see it.

It’s a mistake to think that believing has to do only with the brain. It’s foolish to say, “I’ll only believe what I can figure out up here.” Or “I’ll believe what makes sense to me.” It’s prideful for you to decide what is worth believing or not based on your own cognitive processes. In doing so, you take over a task that belongs to God alone.

It’s a mistake to think that believing only has to do with your heart and your inward feeling. Don’t just wait around until you get a warm feeling and assume that’s faith. Likewise, don’t despair if your feelings wax and wane. Don’t assume that when you’re feeling low, there’s something lacking in your faith.

Romans 10:17  “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Jesus is Christ, the Prophet. Listen to Him.

Listen to Him and He will give you His word of hope when what you see with your eyes, and reason with your head and feel in your heart may give you despair and your body will eventually give you death.  Jesus, Christ the Prophet says, “whoever believe in [me] will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16b).

Listen to Him and He will give you His word of salvation -- salvation when every other way, your own way, the world’s ways, the devil’s false ways will end up getting you nothing but lost. Jesus, Christ the Prophet says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” Mark 16:16.

Listen to Him and He will give you His word of peace. All the other voices you can hear from within or from without will fill your mind with worries and frustration and unhealthy attitudes about life and about yourself.  Jesus, Christ the Prophet says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28.

Listen to Him and He will give you His word of love. Everyone else, you can’t be sure of. They might say nice things to you, but you always wonder, are they just in it for their own good and their welfare. Do they truly love me or are they just being self-serving. Because all are sinners, you gotta wonder. But Jesus Christ is the perfect one and the perfect Friend.  Jesus, Christ the Prophet says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” John 15:13-14.

Listen to Him and He will give you His word of life. It was His word that made, out of nothing, the heavens and the earth. It was His word that made the blind to see, the lame to walk and the leper to be cleansed. It is His word with water that forgives you your sins, and makes you his child. It’s His word that called Lazarus from the tomb and gave Him life. It’s His Word that will, on the Last Day, wake your loved ones from the tomb. Jesus, Christ the Prophet says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die"   John 11:25-26.