Rev. Dr. Joel D. Biermann
Anointed: Prophet
November 30, 2016
Some of our church traditions are ancient—dating back to times even before the birth of Christ. We speak and sing psalms, today, much as believers have done for millennia; and, crosses and altars are a standard part of our church’s arrangement as they have been since early in the church’s history. But, other traditions aren’t as old. Advent wreaths only began appearing in American churches in the 1930’s. It’s a relatively new thing, but it’s already rich with symbolism. Four candles for the four Sundays in Advent each have a singular message. The first candle, the one that burns tonight, is the prophets’ candle and speaks a message of hope as the prophets longed for the fulfillment of God’s plan. The second is the Bethlehem candle and reminds us of faith—especially the faith of Joseph and Mary as they traveled to Bethlehem trusting the messages received from heavenly emissaries. The pink candle declares joy and is associated with the celebrating shepherds. The final candle, the angels’ candle, speaks peace, the message the angels brought that first Christmas night. But, this night in November, we’re at week one. Tonight, we think about prophets.
So, what images come to mind when you think about a prophet? It’s likely that you conjure a picture of a rugged looking man with long, unkempt hair and beard, wearing rough robes, and wielding a long staff. He has a far-away, half-crazed look in his eye, and when he opens his mouth he talks about a blood red moon, swarms of locusts, crumbling kingdoms, invading armies, and holy wrath to come. No doubt, there’s some truth to the image. There were prophets who fit the description pretty closely if not in every detail. But, our preconceived ideas about prophets can also be a bit misleading. Not all prophets were wild desert dwellers who wandered into the city with a message of doom. Some were farmers, some cultivated grapes and figs, some were women, and some were from refined and influential families, still others were well-groomed and polished priests. Prophets came in many varieties. And, they didn’t just spend their time seeing and relating visions about what was going to happen.
Today, “prophet” usually means someone who foretells the future. But, in the world of the Old Testament, foretelling the future was only a small, and not even required, aspect of a prophet’s work. Mostly, prophets were busy forth-telling the word of God to people. They were more like preachers than mystic seers. They were more interested in what people did this day in the present, than in what was going to happen someday in the future. Prophets spoke for God. That’s what made a prophet a prophet. Oh, and prophets killed people. You did catch that in the reading from I Kings, didn’t you? Elijah is sent back into Israel with a list of people he is supposed to anoint for holy office. Two men, Hazael and Jehu, are to be made kings—replacing failed rulers rejected by God. And one man, Elisha, is to be anointed as Elijah’s own successor, a new prophet to speak God’s word in Israel. These new rulers had work to do enacting God’s justice: Hazael and Jehu were to strike with the sword and deliver judgment. And, so was Elisha, who we are told, would put to death any who escaped the killing of the two new kings. A prophet with a bloody sword is not a standard prophet image, is it? But it is part of the picture.
So, we’ve got our Old Testament precedent firmly set. Anointed by God for their holy work, prophets saw clearly into God’s unfolding plan. They spoke God’s truth. And, they knew how to use a sword. Now, we move forward to the One who came to complete all the work of the prophets—the One who came to fulfill the promise made by God’s prophet, Moses—the One who came to be anointed to accomplish God’s plan. And so, Jesus, came. And, he was anointed for his work. Yes, it’s true that at a dinner party in his last days, he was anointed—the fragrant and precious oil was poured down over his feet and hair. But, Jesus’ anointing for his work came earlier. It happened in a river when the last great Old Testament prophet, John, anointed his far greater successor. Jesus’ baptism was his anointing for his work. He is the Anointed One. That, of course, is exactly what we mean when we call him Christ. Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Jesus is his name given. Christ is his title delivered. Messiah and Christ both mean the same thing. They are the Hebrew and Greek words for Anointed One. Jesus is the anointed one who gathers up all the preceding reality of anointed kings, priests, and prophets and pulls them into himself and surpasses and explodes them all. He is the great and final king, priest, and prophet. Jesus does what prophets do: he forth-tells, he speaks God’s truth to the people. And, of course, he also does some foretelling, pointing ahead to what is yet to come as God’s plan takes shape.
But, what about the sword part? Actually, he does fulfill even that work. Remember, he declared it: I haven’t come to bring peace, but a sword. Jesus, the Great Prophet does indeed carry a sword. But, he’s not using his sword to lop off limbs or to slice open bodies. In John’s vision recorded in the last book of the Bible, the old apostle sees Jesus in glory, with a sword, this time coming out of his mouth. It’s the prophet’s sword—the sword that kills. It does not take physical life. It cuts much more deeply and profoundly. Jesus’ sword kills people spiritually. His sword speaks God’s word of judgment on sinners and leaves them in a helpless, hopeless situation with no recourse and no power to do anything about it. When Jesus’ sword is unsheathed, people die spiritually. They are killed by the sharp and deadly word of God’s unyielding law. Elisha may well have done some physical damage with a literal metal sword—but his greatest prophetic weapon was undoubtedly the spiritual sword he carried and used. He had the sword of God’s piercing and devastating law. He had the message that God’s creatures do not measure up to their Creator’s standards, and that by their sin and failure they have earned for themselves God’s just condemnation and eternal wrath. That was the potent sword carried by Elisha and every prophet. That was the sword that Jesus brought. It’s the sword that kills so that God can then do his great work of making alive. And, of course, that’s the full and final prophetic work that Jesus ultimately and perfectly accomplishes. Jesus brings not only the sword of law and judgment, but he brings the life-giving gospel of forgiveness and restoration. That’s what prophets do. When people repent, they declare forgiveness. Jesus declares and delivers forgiveness. He is the great, ultimate prophet.
But, the prophetic work of Jesus is not just a past event. God’s Word continues to be spoken into the world. The sword is still being wielded. Today, the prophetic work of God goes on every time that a pastor steps into a pulpit and preaches Gods’ truth to people. The Office of the Holy Ministry is a very real continuation and extension of Jesus’ prophetic work. And for that work, we set aside men who are to do the speaking. So, it is that an ordination and installation is a sort of anointing for the prophetic task. When preachers preach well, they kill with the sword of God’s law, and they make alive with the wonderful Gospel of God’s grace and promise. But, it is not only pastors who are called to speak God’s truth into the world. All of God’s people have that task. You have that task. You are to be God’s prophet, in the world, today. That’s right, you are a prophet. You don’t need to grow out your hair, buy burlap for your robes, or move to the desert. You just continue to be yourself, fulfilling each day’s tasks and obligations, and living your life doing what God has given you to do. But, in the midst of the ordinary routine of your ordinary life, you also fulfill the work of a prophet. You speak God’s truth. You too have a prophet’s sword, and it still does its deadly work. While you live your regular life, you do your prophetic work—you speak God’s truth to the people that you meet.
It’s not as complicated or as difficult as you may think. Being a prophet is simply a matter of telling people what God wants them to hear. So, your little son or daughter disobeys you, or an older child violates an agreement—you speak Gods’ truth, making clear that they have done wrong, that sin destroys relationships and hurts other people. And then when repentance comes, you speak words of forgiveness from God himself, and assure your children that Jesus loves them and that their heavenly Father fully forgives them, even as you do. That’s what prophets do. When you are at work or gathered with a group of friends and the conversation takes a coarse turn to what does not build up, or an absent person becomes the topic of discussion, you speak for God and call the group to what is right and what honors God’s will. You wield the sword of the law, and challenge what is wrong. You do the same for Christian brothers or sisters who are straying from God’s path and getting mired in behaviors and habits that pull them out of step with God’s purposes. You don’t stand and watch or just pray silently. You open your prophet’s mouth and you speak God’s word to them. You call them to repent. And, when necessary, you kill them with the sword so that God can make them alive as you speak the gospel of forgiveness and renewal. That’s what prophets do. That’s what you do.
The prophets’ candle burns tonight. It reminds us of all those faithful servants of old who boldly declared God’s truth in a world that was often resistant and reluctant to hear. Even more, that candle points us to Jesus who came and with his brilliant light, fulfilled the work of every prophet. He not only spoke God’s truth, but embodied, and incarnated God’s truth so that everyone would hear God’s clear word of law and Gospel. He used the sword, and he used the healing gospel. So, do you. You continue the work of the Anointed One even today. You’ve been set aside and designated as a prophet. You’ve got your sword of God’s law. You’ve got the healing gospel of God’s grace. Go and use them. The prophets’ candle is your candle. Amen.