Christ: Prophet and Prophesy [Trinity 8]

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Jerimiah 23:16-29

• Romans 8:12-17

• St. Matthew 7:15-23

 

To you all, the Elect Exiles of the Dispersion; may Grace and Peace be multiplied to you (1 Pet)
 
Who speaks to you today, from His Gospel heard in His Church, saying: 
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
 
As we try to figure out just what a false prophet is, maybe we can call today “false prophet day”, in the Church. No, we cannot give the demons their day. Instead, let us celebrate the not-so-well known prophet Micaiah. It was he who was called by God from obscurity and went back to obscurity only after he was made to confront 400 false prophets.
 
Though he was not given fire from heaven to use, as Elijah was, St. Micaiah was given the Word of God. We often despise the Word rightly given and spoken by God’s pastors in exchange for ambiguity and emotional rollercoasters, as they appeal to our sinful sense of self-importance more than “boring” words we have heard over and over again.
 
St. Micaiah is found towards the end of 1 Kings where the Lord recounts to us the death of Ahab. This is king Ahab of Elijah fame. King Ahab now wants to add more land and riches to his rule over Israel. He enlists the king of Judah and his 400 yes-men he calls prophets to confirm his choice of going to war again.
 
The yes-men all say yes, God has foreseen your victory! The King of Judah isn’t so sure and wants an actual prophet of the Lord to ask. Ahab responds this way: “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil” (1 Ki 22:8).
 
Repent. He was entitled long before we thought being entitled was cool. King Ahab perfectly represents us in our spoiled-childlike sin. 
 
So here maybe he teaches us a lesson about false and true prophets. That, perhaps, the first time you encounter a true prophet, you won’t like them. So, stop being so nice to me. You’re ruining my career choice.
 
But seriously, you may think you have finally gotten on God’s good side and everything is going your way, but then He places someone in front of you that just doesn’t sit right with you. You are just living your life. You love the Jesus, you earnestly repent of your sin, and seek to live in peace with everyone. Then the real Jesus barges in warning about false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, thorn bushes, thistles, and not knowing you on the Last Day.
 
Repent. You do not want God to pay attention to you, especially when things are going well, and you only want a little attention when things are going poorly. You say, God, just give me a sign. Talk to me. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Anything.
 
St. Micaiah then prophesies Ahab’s death. The Lord’ speaks to Ahab through His real man and tells Ahab, go on up and have your little battle for more greed, but then fall in the midst of that battle (1 Ki 22:20). I’ll do anything You ask, if you just talk to me Lord, except that.
 
How God accomplished this is that He sent a spirit to be a deceiving spirit to all Ahab’s prophets, making them false prophets. This does not mean God is tricksy or a deceiver. It means Ahab wanted what he wanted so much, he was wiling to sacrifice the truth for it. The Truth being St. Micaiah's Word.
 
What was that Word? Verse 17, “And [Micaiah] said, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’’”
 
The lie of the false prophets, all false prophets, is go and cause strife and suffering for others to make their your life better. 
The Truth of the true prophets is that a True Shepherd will be sent to bring each person home in peace. The Truth of the true Prophets is the Christ.
 
Jesus today tells us in the Gospel to “beware” False Prophets. Beware means to be aware of who they are and what they do and teach, to pay attention. So pay attention to the false prophets in order that you know who they are. The prime example of what this is comes from Jeremiah 26, where Jesus uses the words “false prophets” as He does in only a few other places in the Bible.
 
Jeremiah 26:7-8: “The priests and the false prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the false prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, ‘You shall die!’” Very Christ-like action!
 
Notice that the works of the false prophets are death. Along with sin, the false prophets hear the Word and sinfully desire to crucify whoever is speaking it. Pay attention. Do not let your false prophets mislead you. They cry for peace, but crucify the Son of God.
 
Jesus is our true Prophet. Not only is He the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but He suffers and dies for the salvation of the whole world. He is not only able to speak the Truth, but He is also able to show the Truth in the flesh. 
 
As Prophet, Jesus preached personally. He did not send Micaiah to suffer and die in His place. He came Himself and validated that He is the Word of God with miracles, especially His own resurrection. 
 
And this Office of Prophet continues today. Through the preached Gospel by His pastors that Jesus chooses, He still proclaims Himself to be the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17)
 
St. Micaiah and his brothers in arms, could only preach what God told them, dying for their trouble, and seemingly being unsuccessful as God’s people would continue to turn away from God. Jesus was able to preach about Himself, die for the trouble, and make the true Way wherein sinners could turn from their sins and live.
 
We call this the “white devil”; false prophets of today who deceive us with a good-looking front.  The devil so disguised is more dangerous than the “black devil” of Hollywood fame.  2 Corinthians 11:13-14 centers on this thought.  We read there that these white-devil, false prophets masquerade as apostles of Christ and even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  That means he tempts us by what on the surface may feel right and good. Remember Adam and Eve at the Tree! (Gen. 3:6)  
 
He promises pleasure and fulfillment in many ways that the world honors but that set aside God’s Word and will.  He denies the need for suffering and struggle in Christ’s church.  He casts doubt on God’s love for us. This is the true and proper work of false prophets even today.
 
These false prophets crucify Christ a second time by trusting in their works, to their own harm, and hold Him up to contempt (Heb 6:6). They teach this: If you would serve God, you must merit forgiveness of sins and everlasting life, and must also help others that they may attain to salvation : you must enter into discipleship, vow obedience, chastity, poverty, etc. 
 
“The Saved”, and the rest of that religious rabble, being puffed up with this opinion of their own holiness, brag that they alone are in the life and state of perfection, and that other Christians lead but a common life, for they do no undue works, or more than they are duty-bound to do, that is, they do not accomplish the super spiritual, they are only baptized and keep the ten commandments.
 
As for themselves, besides that which is common to them as to other Christians, they keep also the works of supererogation, and the counsels of Christ; wherefore, they hope to have merits and a place in heaven among the principal saints, far above the common sort of Christians. 
 
This is false prophesy and a horrible illusion of the devil, whereby he hath bewitched almost the whole world. And every man, the more holy he would seem to be, the more he is snared with that witchery, that is to say, with the pestilent persuasion of his own righteousness. And this was the cause that we could not now hear that Jesus Christ was our mediator and savior, but instead thought He a severe judge pacified by our works. (AE 26:200)
 
Dear Christians, you are a nation of prophets and are to pay attention. In Christ, we are given a new life and open ears to hear His Gospel of Life. “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues” says Jesus in St. Matthew 10:17, but do “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1)
 
And what have we heard from those preaching from God? 1 Peter 1:19, “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention[, beware,] as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
 
Your prophetic Word more fully confirmed is Christ Crucified. Your prophesy is Word and Sacrament. You prophesy when you take communion. You prophesy the death of Jesus. You prophesy the resurrection of Jesus (living bread). And you prophesy your faith in His Word, publicly. Jesus is the only true Prophet and all true prophesy points to Him His Work and His Word.
 
False prophesy pays attention to sheep’s outward clothing. Instead, you look for the Lamb of God Who was slain. Look for the wounds of the cross, the Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. Find the good grapes in the Chalice and find the Door to heaven in the Gospel of salvation preached and the Sacraments administered according to it.