Bible Study:
Mission Is PropheticBible Study:
Mission Is Propheticby J. ANN CRAIG
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Luke 4:18-19
Jesus, fresh from the desert of temptation, began his ministry in the synagogues of Galilee -- his home territory. Word traveled fast, so when he arrived in Nazareth where he had grown up, people wanted to see his miracles and hear what this native son had to say.
His first words were read from the prophet Isaiah. This reading was a defining moment for him as surely as would be his decision to travel to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission.
This passage from Isaiah is also a defining passage for women in mission. It is the call to justice work in the name of Jesus. Mission begins where Jesus began -- a life that brings good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed. Each of these actions proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor.
But wait!
Before we go running out the door to free the world, there is a bit more to know. For every biblical text, there is a context. As Jesus finished reading from Isaiah, rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant, every eye was on him as he announced that the text was fulfilled in their hearing.
The muttering began. First they spoke well of him. They were amazed and said, "Is not this Joseph’s son?"
Jesus knew what would come next. Admiration would turn to jealousy, scorn and disbelief. They would want proof.
Jesus confronted them and said:
"Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, heal yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’" And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown." (Luke 4:23-24)
Then he referred to the healing and freeing acts of the prophets, reminding his hometown friends that not everyone had received help from the prophets. Some of the widows and lepers were left for lost.
The implications were clear. Jesus’ hometown cronies were not among those who were freed by the prophets, they were the ones who didn’t listen.
They took Jesus to the edge of the hill to throw him off. It must have only taken a look into their eyes to expose their fool- hardiness. They realized they had just fulfilled the words of the prophets condemning those who were too arrogant to hear.
The people who you think will be supportive because they have things in common with you, are sometimes your worst critics. There is a price to pay to follow Jesus. It can be painful as well as joyful.
The crowds shout "Hosannah!" one day and "Crucify him!" the next. Perhaps a hometown priest who demanded a miracle in Nazareth finally stood at the foot of the cross. Remembering Jesus’ proverb, "Doctor, heal yourself!" he shouted at Jesus on the cross:
"He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe." (Mark 15:31-32)
We betray, we demand proof, we deny the obvious.
Today words are brandished like torches ready to turn ripe wheat fields into fields of fiery hatred as race, class and gender prejudices fester just below the surface. The disempowered today hear:
What do today’s disempowered have to do with Jesus’ crucifixion? Comparing poor people and women to Jesus in this way is risky. Religious leaders charged Jesus with using Scripture in a blasphemous way. Today, women who dare to quote Scripture in new ways are called heretics. Women who demand children be well cared for are called troublemakers. Why not call them prophets in their hometowns?
Many United Methodist Women members know consequences of being prophetic. They must be prepared to be rejected by hometown people; church people; good people; sometimes, family people.
Prophesy did not die out after the Bible was compiled. A prophet is not necessarily someone who predicts the future, but someone who is brave enough to state out loud what is obvious to everyone. When the handwriting is in large print all over the walls, it’s time to wake up.
But be aware, stating the obvious is prophetic. It can get you into trouble. The words of the prophet Isaiah had long been on the scrolls, but until Jesus read them aloud and said they were true that day, injustices could continue as usual. After Jesus, nothing was as usual again.
Mission is prophetic. United Methodist Women’s mission work addresses the obvious facts:
There is so much prophesy to speak.
Do not look Jesus in the eye and ask for proof that the Gospel has to do with justice. Do not ask Jesus for proof that we must be prophets in our own land and time. The words are written large on every shantytown wall, every prison wall, every Wall-Street wall, every church wall:
Bring good news to the poor and the oppressed!
Release the captives!
Heal the sick!
Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor!
J. Ann Craig is executive secretary for spiritual and theological development for the Women's Division.