Saturday, March 28, 2020
The Rev. Nathaniel Bourne
Collect
Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, and spare all those who confess their sins to you; that those whose consciences are accused by sin may by your merciful pardon be absolved; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading
John 7:37–52
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”
Reflection
“Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”
The debate in the crowd and between the temple police and Pharisees in this reading revolves around a single question: who speaks on behalf of God? The authorities are focused on pedigree and credentials – “The Messiah must come from Bethlehem. Surely someone who isn’t one of us can’t know what God desires. No prophet could come from a rural backwater like Galilee.” They are trapped by the limits of their imagination. Jesus presents a world in which God lives and moves in the hearts of everyone who believes, everyone who seeks a deeper knowledge of God. The truth can come from unexpected places. God speaks in and from places where we aren’t looking. A distant relative who I’ve written off as having nothing to offer, a coworker I’ve never had a real conversation with, the stranger I find myself sitting next to at a bar, or the guest at Common Table who I sat next to because there wasn’t an open seat – everyone we encounter has the potential to reveal God to us. Part of what it is to follow Jesus is to move through life with our ears and minds open, willing to listen deeply to others and to let our minds be changed.
Question
Who are the unlikely prophets in your own life? What prejudices do you hold that might prevent you from hearing God speaking?