Who’d be a prophet??
This is a macabre parable. The poor old owner invests heavily in the wine industry and leases his shiny new vineyard out to some villainous tenants. They trash the place and keep all the profits for themselves. The owner sends several real estate agents to inspect his vineyard and sort it out. Each of them get punched to within an inch of their life. In exasperation the owner sends his son and he is killed. But the lousy tenants get their comeuppance from the owner and the vineyard passes to new tenants.
So there are several characters for the preacher to choose from. There is the owner, the prophets, the naughty tenants and there are those who unsuspectingly and quite by surprise, have the vineyard given to them. It's the poor old prophets that I would like to think about this morning.
No-one actually applies cheerfully and willingly to be a prophet and there is a good reason why. Let me remind you of the abhorrent time that some of the Old Testament prophets had. Jeremiah is a good one to start with. Listen to the job advertisement.“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. I consecrated you. I have appointed you. I will make you into a fortified city. I am with you.”Jerry says “Well look that sounds very lovely, but I am too young for this job” and God replies
“Don’t say I am only a youth, for all to whom I send you, you shall go and whatever I command you, you shall speak. I have set you over nations to pluck up and to build and to plant.”
Sounds great doesn’t it. God will take care of everything. How hard can it be? But by chapter 20 Jerry is back and he is not at all happy.
“God you have seduced me and I have let myself be seduced”. Everything has gone wrong. He tells the people to do one thing and they do the opposite. The nation lurches from disaster to catastrophe to calamity. Jerry complains “I have become a laughing stock all the day long”. And he is literally dropped into the mire by his enemies.
Exhibit B Jonah.
Jonah didn’t want the parish of Nineveh and despite his best efforts to run away on a boat and go in the opposite direction, God makes sure that Jonah gets to Nineveh after-all. Jonah tells God that the people will repent and that you God are far too soft. You’ll probably just forgive them anyway. Imagine Jonah’s fury when that is exactly what happens. Why did I bother God?
Or what about Moses. The guy with the stutter, the guy who is painfully introverted and shy. The guy who just wants to quietly mind his father in laws sheep. A very peaceful quiet lifestyle until the burning bush incident. Suddenly Moses finds himself confronting bully buy Pharaoh and asking in the nicest possible way to let the slaves go free. And even when Moses manages to free the slaves from Pharaoh after all the frightful plagues, the people whinge and complain against Moses for forty long years as they trudge around in Nullarbor.
Hosea is called and has to marry a prostitute. Amos is quite content pruning his sycamore tree and ends up being accused of high treason. Daniel gets tossed into the lions den and his 3 best mates get thrown into the furnace. And Job… who we are told is blameless and upright gets a list of woes that goes on for 41 chapters.
A couple of things. First, none of these guys and none of us are in this business because we chose to be. God first chose us. God took the initiative. We only thought we had caught God. The reality is that He caught us a long time ago.
Secondly there is a purpose to all this muck and suffering. This is the way God works. He is most magnificent and most potent and most loving when his ministry is shown forth in His suffering. This is the way God operates. This is his vehicle to get us to heaven. Through the suffering of his own dear Son. This is why we pray. This is why we care, it is why we hurt, it is why we love. By doing these things we shall carry, push, shove, cajole and harangue our brothers and sisters along the rocky road to Calvary and through the pearly gates of heaven itself.
So the next time you get thrown into the pits, or fed to some lions, or you find yourself at the bedside of someone you love, or in tears before a crucifix, or even very much alone. Please remember that we are part of Christ's body. The body that was pierced and slapped, which died and rose to redeem the whole of creation. You and I simply do our part - gladly, trustingly, like the prophets before us and in the footsteps of Him who became what we are, so that we might become who He is.